Know Your Audience 06/29/11

What did I learn about my audience from the Know Your Audience discussion board?  I learned that my classmates and I have a lot in common but are different on a lot of levels too.  The only question that absolutely everyone agreed on was about whether or not they would choose to be a boy or girl if given the choice.  Everyone choose to remain the sex that they currently are. 

If we could live anywhere in the world, most of us would not be in Missouri but spread out in all corners of the earth.   Most people chose somewhere they had visited but some, like me, chose a place they only dream of.  The reasons were diverse but a lot were because of the lifestyle, either the relaxed atmosphere or the hustle and bustle.   Lakes, rivers and oceans were the favorite choices for scenery.

For the most part, if we had a million dollars, we would be pretty responsible with it.  Most would buy a house and a car or two, pay off bills and save.    This financial responsibility also shows in the reason we are attending OTC.   Most of us are here because of the low cost. 

Most people when asked who in their family they would trade places with for a day chose someone they look up too.  However, when given the option of trading places with anyone, a lot people chose a famous actor or actress.  So if we follow that logic, actors and actresses are the people we look up to?  That’s a scary thought. 

If we could change something in our life most would have worked harder in high school or earlier college days.  Others would like to repair family relationships.   The most surprising answer I found was Michael’s response to what moment or experience he would relive.  Most everyone chose a moment that was joyous and happy.  Michael said he would want to relive basic training.  From what I have heard about how hard basic training is, I was surprised that he would want to go through that again.  I can tell based on his reasoning, he is hoping it would be better the second time around.

Now that I know so much about my classmates, how will that impact my writing?  Well, a lot of my classmates like fantasy books like Twilight, Harry Potter and Trueblood.  Knowing that helps me know what they might enjoy me writing about.  We are a diverse group of people but we are all connected in the fact that we are all students.  We all face challenges and have regrets.  I hope to relate to those similarities in my writing.