This week we have been thinking about sharing our writing and how having a reader can help us become better writers. There are different kinds of reader. You are your own first reader. Part of learning to be a writer is learning to be a good reader of your own work. We’ll write about that on another day. Then there is the reader who is testing you, making judgements, maybe even marking what you have written out of ten. They are often teachers, or examiners and they could be publishers and editors. There are readers who are like you -maybe friends, classmates, or people in your family. These readers will be able to tell you something about your writing – what it made them think or feel, what they noticed, what they will remember from it. They are really useful readers and we have to learn what to do with what they tell us.
Finally, there are readers who are your allies. They are really rooting for you, wanting you to do well. These readers will work hard to understand what you are wanting to say and how you are saying it. You will know and trust each other enough to be honest. These are important readers because they won’t just fob you off with a ‘Lovely’ or ‘Very nice.’ These readers will tell you where the writing goes wobbly but they will work with you to help you sort out the difficulties. These readers may well be writers also and you will be their reader. It is really lucky to have a reader/writer ally. Look out for one. You may find them where you least expect. If you have one already, bravo! Good luck.
Writing Box 