As I started introspecting, I realized that one of the biggest drawbacks of my writing style --- at least initially --- was that I was not paying sufficient attention to my audience profile. I did not have a clear vision of who I was writing for. During this phase, I would at times, unthinkingly meander into areas, which could not have of direct interest to my target audience, namely, my patients, their family members and my peers.
I also realized that identifying and analyzing your target audience is by no means a simple task. You have to put yourself in the position of people you might not know; reading something you haven't yet started to write.
Most writers want to concentrate first on content. Their knowledge and opinions are understandably what they feel most comfortable with. They want to write something first and shape it later. But in my view, resisting this temptation is important.
I for instance had to figure out and segment three different audience profile for my book:
• My patients
• Their papers and other support members
• Everybody else interested in knowing more about health nutrition
By this time, I had realized that audience No.#1 and 2, were my core audience and audience no.#3 were incidental to my content. This analysis helped narrow down my focus.
Dr Kevin Lau
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