There are three general scenarios for writing. These scenarios differ in the following ways:

• Who is the target audience
• Who selects the target audience
• Who selects the desired consequence

The Writing-to-Self Scenario

Ideally, when writing-to-self,

• the WRITER desires a (specific) consequence (for a particular instance of writing)
• the WRITER constructs the writing challenge (either implicitly or explicitly),
• the WRITER is the target audience, and
• the desired consequence is to be acheived by the WRITER.

In the writing-to-self scenario, the only "actor" is the writer, and the writer's agency is sufficient to bring about the desired consequence.

The Writing-to-Others Scenario

Ideally, when writing-to-others,

• the WRITER desires a specific consequence (for a particular instance of writing)
• the WRITER constructs the writing challenge
  (either implicitly or explicitly),
• the WRITER chooses a target audience (other than self), and
• the desired consequence is to be acheived by THAT AUDIENCE (but not by the writer).

In the writing-to-others scenario, both the writer and the target audience are "actors."

• Typically, the writer's agency and/or social authority are not sufficient to achieve the desired consequence (for a particular instance of writing),
• but the target audience's agency and/or social authority are (should be) sufficient to achieve the desired consequence.

The Writing-for-Others Scenario

Ideally, when writing-for-others,

• SOMEONE OTHER THAN the WRITER desires a specific consequence (for a particular instance of writing),
• and/or SOMEONE OTHER THAN the WRITER constructs the writing challenge (either implicitly or explicitly),
• and/or SOMEONE OTHER THAN the WRITER chooses a target audience, and
• the desired consequence is to be achieved by THAT AUDIENCE.

In the writing-for-others scenarios, there are three "actors:"

• someone-other-than-the-writer,
• the target audience, and
• the writer.