Do you write in secret? Perhaps you have journaled for as long as you can remember but have never shared your writing with anyone else. Did you know that you can write effectively for both you and an audience?

Many individuals write for themselves—and that’s great! Writing can help you remember important information, process difficult emotions, and stay on track so you achieve your goals.  The very act of writing promotes learning, and in many cases, healing.

With some tweaking, what you write for yourself may also benefit others. You can encourage and equip people by sharing your experiences and the knowledge you have gained from them. Others may not even know they need the comfort, freedom, opportunities, and recognition that your words can bring.

If you are ready to move beyond writing just for yourself, understanding the following will help you write for your audience, too:

Your writing goes through seasons. You may have recently discovered your gift of writing, or you may have been pursuing your calling as a writer for some time. Early seasons are often spent learning to write well while later seasons may be spent learning to write more and teaching others to write.

Your writing looks different in different seasons. Do you recall graduating from widely spaced lines on a Big Chief tablet to cursive and then to so many words typed per minute? In addition to journaling, perhaps you are ghostwriting. If you are not yet sharing your messages in your own unique voice, you will someday soon.

Your writing can take on various forms. What about showing your appreciation and love through cards, gift books, letters, and poems? If you want to connect with someone in 140 characters or less, you might tweet or post on Facebook. With so many different options—articles, blogs, books, devotionals, scripts, short stories, etc.—you are sure to find one that suits you.

Your writing can reach diverse audiences. Perhaps you started writing sentiments in hand-crafted cards for your mom or dad and then moved on to letters for your best friend or pen pal. You might now be responsible for communicating with hundreds of customers at your workplace. Or you may choose to reach audiences that are personally significant to you like patients, students, or women with children.

Now is an opportune season to write for you and your audience. Consider what your writing looks like and what form it can take to reach various groups of people.  As you write, you will probably discover that you are fulfilling a purpose much greater than your own.