In The Eyes of the Beholder

I just finished watching an interview with Stephen King. Yea, I watch a lot of those; you never know what he will say so they are usually interesting. It just so happens that on this particular interview he spoke about how people (readers, fans, shoppers at a grocery store) perceive him. I mean, he writes mostly horror and Dark Fantasy so he must be the dark, melodramatic type that never wants to be around people. He would most likely want to boil you in hot oil rather than shake your hand...right? Of course that first question on everyone's mind is always, "what happened in your childhood that drove you to write stories like that?"



I feel for the man. I can't imagine how many times he has responded to that question and yet the perception continues. I can also relate to King in this aspect of writing. We have covered many areas of writing here at The New Author and here is another one. Have you ever thought about how you would be perceived after your book is released? I didn't. I did not give it a seconds worth of thought until about a month before the release day. I guess you could say I tried to "warn" people about my book. I would tell them it was in the same line as what Stephen King would write. Some listened and some didn't. Is it important to consider how you will be seen after your book is released? No, not really. Is it something you should be aware of? Absolutely. You see, things will change after your book comes out and people find out about it. You may meet new friends and some of your regular friends may gravitate closer to you or they will distance themselves. Some people who you thought to be friends will have nothing to do with you once your book is common knowledge.



We cannot stop this from happening short of not sharing our novels with others nor can we change how people view us. All we can do is realize the truth of the matter and keep moving forward. Whether you write romance, horror, dark fantasy, or erotica - the questions will come. The whispers will happen. It is times like this that a thick skin will come in handy. I guess this is a benefit from all those rejections. I've already been asked what kind of nightmares did I have to write the sort of story I did. The big question, of course, is - how can you be a Christian and write dark Fantasy/horror? I really don't know, these stories flooded my mind like a tidal wave. I didn't put a lot of thought into what I would write or what genre I would write. It just happened. Did it change me? Does it make me a different person? No, not at all. I believe the perception of some toward me has changed. That is unfortunate but also unavoidable.



Why do I mention this to you? Awareness, being prepared for it can help out. It can get tough at times. When a group you once thought to be friends black ball you that can be a hard pill to swallow but you have to. Your book is out, whether their perception is true or false, they have made a decision and it is not one that will be changed. It could possibly drive you to stop writing or, worse, regret being published. That is an extreme case but I believe it has happened. We work hard and we enjoy what we write...which is why we write so to stop or regret because of how we are perceived would be an injustice.