I found this quote interesting because I have often had the experience of being asked to write with the purpose of recollection (writing to remember) in mind, but never with the purpose of shocking myself (writing for my own pleasure). When students are assigned writing in a classroom setting and asked to "write for themselves or their own enjoyment," they know that teachers have an ulterior motive. Knowing that your teacher wants you to write your assignment using a specific format, requiring a specific word count, or with a specific outcome in mind helps spoil the natural wonderment that writing should have, greatly affecting the outcome. This is an example of how external factors can have an influence on our purpose.
Often when writing we are driven by a collection of complex motivations—be it to achieve a good grade or self-expression through poetry. Unfortunately because of situations like this, a lot of the joy and wonder of writing (and communicating in general) has been stolen from us at a young age. Our culture’s obsession with structure and formatting has overshadowed the true purpose of writing, stifling the development of ideas, and eventually preventing concise arguments from being formed and executed.
This quote captures the idea that writing, ultimately, should have the writer as the audience first and foremost. It seems that writing with yourself as the audience doesn’t have to be limited to journal or diary writing. It is possible to have more than one intended audience—both primary and secondary audiences—in mind, as long as the general purpose is the same. As a pre-service teacher, I am motivated to help my students develop exceptional communication skills, regardless of what subject I teach. They should understand the process of composition of any type of communication, ranging from stating their purpose to understanding that the audience effects what they will ultimately produce.
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