Two considerations — what you want to accomplish as a writer and how you want to appeal to your audience — will shape the direction of your writing. Clarifying your purpose and considering your audience are likely to increase your confidence as a writer. Even so, your writing process may take you in unexpected directions, not necessarily in a straight line. You can skip around, work on several parts at a time, test a fresh approach, circle back over what’s already done, or stop to play with a sentence until it clicks.