Musings on Muses from James W. Ziskin

Do you write from the heart, following your muse, not thinking about the reader at all; or do you write with the market in mind, thinking of the reader and how you can make the novel commercially successful; or somewhere in between? How would you advise an emerging author on this?

When I write, I never think about the market or what might sell. One look at my royalty statements will bear that out. And if I knew the secret to commercial success, I wouldn’t be wasting your time with this blog every...