Purpose

It's a matter of Purpose

All writing has a purpose, or goal. For example, novelists want to tell a story, express an emotion, explore a universe, etc. Advertisers want to sell a product and build brand loyalty. Editorialists and critics want to challenge our thinking, while scholars want to engage us in conversation. Understanding that any text is driven by purpose—maybe lots of purposes—is key to understanding the text itself.

So what is your purpose?

Are you hoping to persuade, explain, question, or excite? Does your writing seek to encourage, analyze, evoke, or teach?

"Form Follows Function"

Architect Louis Sullivan taught his young students, including Frank Lloyd Wright, that “form follows function.” That is, if the function of your building is to house several families, you probably wouldn’t want to the form of your building to look like a restaurant or a museum. The same is true in writing–before we worry about the form (style, genre, voice, organization) of our writing, we should probably figure out the function first, or in other words, the purpose.

• Is your purpose to persuade others to buy your product? Then you might want to write a persuasive piece and include a “call to action”: ‘Buy our toothbrush today, and get the whitest smile of your life!’
• Are you trying to inform readers about a certain scholarly conversation? Then write a ‘literature review,’ in which you summarize key studies on the given topic.
• Hoping to get a job? Then write a resume and a cover letter. Is the job formal? Then try to avoid writing in too casual a voice (avoid slang and an overly emotional tone).

Every function (purpose) informs your approach (the form your writing will take), so you should start with purpose in mind and maintain that purpose throughout your paper.

Try these steps

Writing is an iterative, cyclical process, but sometimes writers follow these steps when crafting a first draft:

• Step 1: Determine the topic of your communication, say, the world’s greatest toothbrush.
  
• Step 2: Figure out the purpose of the communication, say, to sell it to a certain audience.
  
• Step 3: Now, knowing the goal, choose the form–should you sell the toothbrush in a radio spot or an infomercial? Should you write an analysis about its mechanical properties, do an interview with satisfied customers, or compare the toothbrush to market competitors?

It’s such a simple concept, but if you know your purpose, you’re halfway to making all sorts of important decisions, like determining whether you should write formally or conversationally, or whether you should include an argumentative thesis and cite primary evidence or whether you’re okay exploring personal experiences.

One more thing: your audience will have a purpose, too—maybe lots of them. Experienced writers think about their audience’s expectations and make that part of the writing process as well.