Subject- and audience-based purposes

Although some writing is intended only for yourself — such as entries in a diary, lists, class notes, reminders — much of your writing will be read by others, by those readers who constitute your "audience."

You may write to inform others about a particular subject — to tell them about the key facts, data, feelings, people, places or events. Or you may write to explain to your readers what something means, how it works, or why it happens.

You may write to persuade others to believe or do something — to convince others to agree with your judgment about a book, record, or restaurant, or to persuade them to take a certain class, vote for a certain candidate, or buy some product you are advertising.

You may write to explore ideas and "truths," examine how your ideas have changed, to ask questions that have no easy answers, and then to share your thoughts and reflections with others.

You may write to entertain — as a primary purpose in itself or purpose combined with informing, explaining, persuading, or exploring.

Whatever your purposes may be, good writing both teaches and pleases. Your readers will learn more, remember more, or be more convinced when your writing contains humor, wit, or imaginative language.