In writing, it is important to consider the medium used for publishing or sharing the work, as this medium can influence and shape the style of writing and impact on the writer. The use of different means can result in a different experience for the reader as well, by creating a different image or organization of the piece.

The television documentaries on early human civilization by Kenneth Clark and Jacob Bronowski were adapted from documentaries to books, and each book was influenced by the original format. Each book has thirteen chapters because the television series each contained thirteen episodes. Because the texts were derived from the documentaries, they are structurally similar in format. In A Room of One’s Own, Virginia Woolf argues that “a woman must have money and a room of her own” (Woolf, A Room of One’s Own, 3) in order to write fiction. With this thesis, Woolf describes the effect of the means by which one is writing, and argues the necessity of privacy and wealth in the role of women’s success in writing.

In my own experiences, the means by which I write and my knowledge of the audience have been most influential on my writing. When writing a traditional “five-paragraph essay,” I reference the formatting which has been ingrained in my mind from a young age. This makes all of my writing in this form generally similar, with basic structure in the way I present my ideas. On the contrary, when using Scalar for my assignment on Clark and Bronowski, I had to consider a different method of presentation of my work, which affected my own approach in writing it. I believe that this goes hand in hand with my understanding of the audience. As a writer, knowing who will be reading your writing can make a great difference in the way you present a topic or argument, including the medium used to do so. It is important to consider all aspects of writing, to best present the central idea of the piece.