
Jul 26

Language and Length

Knowing the audience you are writing to also means understanding their attention span, and interest level. Practice these skills by editing a piece of local news.

Sometimes, you find a piece of writing that you think could be improved upon -- by you. Try it and see what the reaction is.


1. Find a newspaper article in your local paper that you think would appeal to a broad audience, OR to an older audience.


2. Using the same information in the article, adjust the LANGUAGE and the LENGTH of the article so it will appeal to an audience of your age. Write an article people your age would be interested to read. Make sure you keep the content of the article.

3. Give it to a friend who is your age and ask their opinion of the article. Was it engaging? Interesting? Clear?

4. Show the friend the original article and ask which one they preferred.

5. Use their feedback to evaluate your skills in writing to a target audience.

AND, as always, comment on the works of your peers.

[Photo Credit: YWP Photo Library, photo by Derek Pham]