A Reader Avatar

A reader Avatar
by Suraya Dewing

I know I am always going on about writing for your reader because I firmly believe that we are now in the age of connecting with our customers before we start writing. The old write and see what happens method is no longer relevant in an age where millions of books are being written and launch every year. The more targeted you can be with your piece (fiction or non-fiction) the more likely it is you will find a group of readers out there who become engaged with what you have written.
So, I was particularly pleased to see a workbook by Kori Frazier Morgan who takes this point a step future. This is a practical guide to creating your reader Avatar.
She explains, “In writing, an avatar is a person used to represent your ideal reader.”
What follows is a series of questions about who your ideal reader is. What your reader is interested in, occupation, family, favourite TV show along with many other questions.
Many writers will have gone through an exercise like this when writing character profiles for their novels but who ever would have thought to write one for a reader? Well it seems someone has. What an excellent idea. How much easier to write for someone you know than an amorphous mass out there in the unknown wilderness. I congratulate Kori on her initiative and will definitely be creating reader avatars for all my writing.