There are several instances where Zinsser’s bold claim that when you are writing you should be writing for yourself can be disputed. Ultimately, however, his argument remains true at least in part no matter what kind of writing it is.

His point is the most easily defended form the stance of narrative pieces. Writing that tells a story is much better served when the voice telling it is unique and therefore able to compel a reader. All of the examples he uses in “Chapter 5: The Audience” are narrative pieces and do a good job at showing how a unique and genuine voice can make a piece about almost any subject worth reading.

When you start to stray away from narrative into informative writing, though, Zinsser’s approach to “writing for yourself” seems dangerous. In Steven Pinker’s “The Source of Bad Writing” he warns of common pitfalls that writers make – the main one being what he calls the “curse of knowledge”, or “a difficulty in imagining what it is like for someone else not to know something that you know.” This “curse” will often times cause confusion for the reader, especially if you have not been keeping track of what they know and what they don’t. So of course if you are only keeping yourself in mind while you are writing, you will assume that the audience (who is you) knows what you know.   

However, that is not what Zinsser meant when he said “write for yourself”. He makes a point to establish a clear distinction between “craft” and “attitude”. Craft is the “technical detail”; the skills that you work on as a writer to make your piece coherent. Attitude comes next – it is the flavor that you bring with your voice; it is bringing out who you are. Therefore, as an effective writer you should be following Pinker’s advice about avoiding the “curse of knowledge” in the craft, then bring your voice to the piece once you are sure the reader can follow.   

Another form of writing where it may be difficult to avoid thinking of the audience is in advertising or promoting a brand through social media. Throughout Gary Vaynerchuk’s book “Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook” he repeats the idea that companies often fail at advertising through social media due to the fact that they do not pay enough attention to the platform or the consumer. Again, this fundamentally goes against the idea that you should write envisioning yourself as the audience since focusing on your target audience is highly important in the field of advertising.   

Still, this can go hand in hand with Zinsser’s ideas if you look at his reasoning for it. He says that it is foolish to imagine the mass audience since every person is different and that you will at least entertain some readers if you are able to entertain yourself. The best way to reach an audience is to speak to them genuinely, but you still want to have an audience in the first place. So when it comes to advertising and outreach, it is best is to use your voice when speaking to your audience but to put yourself in the audience’s shoes. This is easier, of course, if you are a fan of the product –  but even if you are not, you can apply methods and styles of writing that you would personally enjoy to your content. After all, Vaynerchuk says himself that your job is to “tell your story to the customer,” and that, of course, requires your voice.