Writing Markets: Children of The Eighties
The generation growing up in the eighties were fortunate to be part of a rapidly developing technological world. As writers do we consider the needs of this generation and those that have followed?
Have you ever really thought about who you’re aiming your writing at? I mean really thought? Yes, it’s nice to be able to write about whatever you like, but have you thought about who actually wants to read it?
I’m sure I’m not the only reader who has looked at the title of a newly published article and thought, so what? Who Cares? I’m sure people say the same about many of my titles or articles. Being free to write about whatever we want to is great as long as we don’t have too high expectations.
Think about how much more widely your articles would be read if you aimed them at a specific audience. Maybe that is an age group, or people with similar interests, such as book readers, pet owners, parents, fitness freaks, senior citizens and such. If you were submitting to a print magazine you’d really consider who the readers were and what they wanted to read. It should be no different online.
In an article I wrote earlier today (not yet published as I wrote this) I became aware of a group of people I hadn’t thought about for a long time. They are the people who grew up in the eighties and to whom pre-computer life is totally inconceivable. Stay at home mothers were already relatively rare and fathers who didn’t dash off to work each day were looked at in a questioning way. Even families were evolving in different ways by the eighties, the term reconstituted families becoming much more common.
Suddenly kids of the world had options. New jobs were appearing, thanks to rapidly expanding technology. More young people chose to explore the new ideas emerging before taking on a job. And jobs were no longer considered for life as they had previously been. A whole new world was leaving older people behind and paving the way for new opportunities ahead.
So, what has become of the children of the eighties? They are now approaching thirty and many will be already having some success in their lives. This generation were lucky enough to ride the wave of rapid technological change. But where has it got them?
I think back now to the faces I remember of the classes I taught in the mid 1980s. How did the society they grew up in affect them? This whole idea has given me something to think about in my writing. What do I need to understand to reach this generation when I write?
As writers we need to be considering our readers all the time if we want to reach them. Otherwise they will be sitting there in a ho hum way saying ‘who cares’ when they see some of the work we submit. It’s not just the eighties generation, but all generations. If we want to reach them we need to understand more about them. Quite a challenge for a writer, don’t you think?
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March 18th, 2011 at 5:11 pm
Hmmm…I’m one of those kids of the 80s…Interesting to read from another generation’s point of view!
March 18th, 2011 at 5:27 pm
I brought 3 of those . . . . they were not avid readers when young. Would rather study a “how to play cricket” book than a novel or a poem . . . should catch up on their reading habits
March 18th, 2011 at 5:53 pm
Insightful.
March 18th, 2011 at 7:12 pm
Very interesting. This is the generation of kids whose parents came to them for help with technology.
March 18th, 2011 at 7:42 pm
Technology gets faster and faster with each generation. Soon even the eighties children will find it hard to keep up. Bring back the Bionic Man!
March 18th, 2011 at 8:04 pm
Having graduated in 1983 I fully appreciate this article. I remember one of the first cell phones I ever saw…in the Sears catolog. It was so big it looked like the radios we always saw in old army movies. Think of the investments we could make if we could only go back.
March 18th, 2011 at 8:21 pm
That’s very true!
March 18th, 2011 at 8:26 pm
I haven’t published anything in almost 2 months. I have written a couple of articles and then thought, “Who the heck wants to read that?”
March 18th, 2011 at 9:56 pm
My son and I was discussing this today. He couldn’t believe that the first computer I ever used used cards and then floppy discs. Of course he also couldn’t believe that we didn’t have a television until I was 10.
March 18th, 2011 at 10:22 pm
Excellent article and yes I do think it is important to aim our articles at specific audiences. Very good writing and good advice.
March 19th, 2011 at 12:27 am
I am among both the pre-eighties and eighties children. Believe me when I say in Africa, some of the technological gadgets that we take for granted are news! Can you imagine life without roads, electricity, water and food?
March 19th, 2011 at 12:38 am
Having visited a few Pacific Islands, yes I can
March 19th, 2011 at 1:51 am
I was born in 70 and did not see tv till I was 14, In those times we children used to read newspapers and had a library membership, now my son does not even glance at the morning paper, what to do? this is generation gap I suppose.
March 19th, 2011 at 2:02 am
definitely a challenge, it is hard to make a piece of writing appeal to all generations. there will always be some groups of people who don’t get it.
March 19th, 2011 at 3:57 am
You have made me stop and think with this post, Val. My children are children of the eighties and are already beginning to feel age creeping on. Life has not gone smoothly for them. Neither of them ending up in careers they had hoped to follow. We did however make sure they were computer literate from a young age and this has been a very good backup for them.
March 19th, 2011 at 4:07 am
I was born in the 70s and didn’t watch TV till the 80s, life to me then was much easier we often communicated and discussed
March 19th, 2011 at 4:08 am
This is the writers dilemma. In what genre to write, for what market, in what style, and where to publish it? Then issues like what to write that people will want to read. Publishing online should be a step on the road to becoming a published writer (if that is what your goal is). Because you get information on what people read (you can see the number of views against articles that you submit), you can assess what people read. I have deliberately mixed up what I have written about, and can assess what people have read. The internet is a powerful tool, and being computer literate is essential to its use. Good article once again Val, you keep us thinking!
March 19th, 2011 at 4:52 am
today the writer really has to select his niche , also the readers have become a lot selective too . well i dont really know how it was before ( i was born in the late 80’s )
don’t know if it helped .
March 19th, 2011 at 2:10 pm
Well I’m a child of the eighties… born just before the turn lol… and I’m very computer savvy unlike my other half who was born in the beginning of the 70’s… and yes, you’re right, you do have to know who you’re audience is. This writing lark is hard work!
March 19th, 2011 at 8:21 pm
I was born in 1984. So I think that makes me a child of the eighties… And somehow I could relate to write “who cares” kind of stuff…
March 21st, 2011 at 5:22 am
Another fine share cheers
March 22nd, 2011 at 9:24 am
Very good points, Val. Target marketing is a wise decision for writers as well as business owners and Internet Marketers.