Writing is not exactly a team sport.【C1】______ a writer you spend most of your time chuggi

ng away by your lonesome, with only your words for【C2】______ But all the same, writing isn't a one- way street:【C3】______ we're not talking about diaries, all writing is meant to have an audience. You're not talking to yourself, you are having a 【C4】______ .

Many writers are only 【C5】______ aware of their audience as they draft their stories. Some believe the reader doesn't come into play at all until the story is finished or the article on the editor's desk. But since we write to be read, readers are an essential part of the writing【C6】______ itself. Your audience is an implicit part of your writing, as much as plot and characters. Your implicit audience helps【C7】______ your story; it sets your tone and defines your style; it determines in part your choice of protagonist; it is the "ear" to your "voice". If we know how to write and what to write about,【C8】______ we also know who it is we're writing for？

You are not writing for your writers' circle, or your editor, or your mother-in-law who reads all you’re your 【C9】______ drafts. No matter how important these people may be, they are not the "reader" I am talking

about here, or 【C10】______ , they shouldn't be. Writers tend to become hopelessly blocked when they try to please specific readers. Especially when those readers are themselveswriters. Or mothers-in-law. Knowing your 【C11】______ audience will help you avoid that particular trap.

The simplest way to start getting a handle on your audience is to form. a mental【C12】______ of your ideal reader. What kind of person is he/she？ Where does he live, what kind of job, what kind of hobbies does he have？ What books does he read (and when, and how many)？ Chances are, your ideal reader is a lot like you. We write【C13】______ when we write for an audience with whom we can【C14】 ______ .

Sticking with that audience is more important than you think. Too- harsh criticism from fellow writers or editors can undermine your confidence to the point【C15】______ you write just m suit their tastes. Uncritical admiration of relatives and friends can make you sloppy and lax.

New trends may 【C16】______ you to start writing vampire stories【C17】______ your regular romantic westerns. These are all false beacons, to use a 【C18】______ term. A good sense of your ideal reader will help you navigate a steady course, and write 【C19】______ you write best. On the one hand our writing is guided by authors we admire, on the other hand we tend to write for an audience we feel comfortable with. Somewhere 【C20】______ between we find a balance that is our own.

【C1】

A．In

B．As

C．For

D．With