Writing for Yourself

One of the most difficult aspects of being a published author is remembering my audience and yet also writing to please myself. I always want to put out books that people enjoy reading, but if I think too much about that, then my brain seizes up and I can’t write a word.

That can’t be good.

So I am writing this blog post as a reminder to myself as I dig back into At Fault (SF 3) that the first draft is just for me. I can fill it full of mistakes and outrageous plot twists. I can write the most ridiculous comedy scenes, the most gratuitous love scenes, or the most violent criminal perspectives I want. I can even have Vincent shirtless for the entire novel if I want.

Hmmm…that idea might have merit.

To shirt or not to shirt?

No matter what, the first draft is for my eyes only. But the rewrites are for the readers. That’s when I’ll make sure everything is balanced and paced correctly. I’ll get rid of the corny scenes and tone down the romance so it has just the right about of tension and longing. I may even let Vincent put his shirt back on.

Or maybe not.

We’ll see.

But I think it’s important to remember why writers started writing in the first place. It’s because we love to read, and we wanted to write something that made us happy. And the way I see it, I’m not so different in my reading tastes than everyone else. I like action, humor, and romance just as much as the next reader. So I figure if I write to please myself and then edit it to make sure its intelligible, someone else may like it too.

So off I got back to Mercer, Georgia, with Julia and Vincent, who may or may not be wearing a shirt.