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Story vs reader's expectations.
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Been holding back on this b/c I know I'll get slammed, but writers who write ONLY for themselves would not publish their books. If you publish a book, you want to share it with readers. Therefore, it is not just for you anymore.
I'm not slamming anyone, but I do feel the need to show the author's side of this (sordid) tale.We don't work for you. We appreciate your support and financial investment in seeing our work, but that's it. The story does not belong to anyone except the author who has given readers the option of reading and/or buying the book, if you choose to do so. We simply don't work for you.
Mr. Gaiman said it best. Scroll down a bit.
http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2009/05...
I agree w you on that. Too many sp authors act as if they are begging for readers, like a reader is doing them a huge favor by reading their book. It's a business. Both should benefit each other.
Oh, that. Yeah, I learned a while ago that begging for readers is just as bad as expecting authors to live up to all unsaid expectations. It's unrealistic. Of course, with SP authors, what many are really saying is, please provide me with an income. There's a reason why they say don't quit your day job...
I'm fortunate to have the luxury of both enjoying my day job and having the time allotted by said day job to pursue writing. Without the pressure of needing my writing to be my livelihood, I think it's easier to take the stance of writing for myself and for the hope that others will also receive something meaningful from my work. I agree with what Lily said, that if we authors were truly writing for ourselves then we wouldn't bother publishing. I'm sure most artists want to be seen and heard and appreciated for their craft. And regardless of whether the aim is to reach a mass market audience or to be appreciated by a small few, we all must still play the marketing game. I think the challenge is staying true to oneself and one's vision and still being open enough to reach and appeal to an audience. The trick (I'm learning) is to simply have fun with it! Enjoy making book covers and websites and promos. If not, if it's all stressful drudgery and fretting over a sales report, then why the hell do it anyway?? There are easier ways to earn a living than to take a beautiful, artistic enjoyment and make it drudgery :0)
Tabitha wrote: "I'm fortunate to have the luxury of both enjoying my day job and having the time allotted by said day job to pursue writing. Without the pressure of needing my writing to be my livelihood, I think ..."Well said!
C.G. wrote: "Tabitha wrote: "I'm fortunate to have the luxury of both enjoying my day job and having the time allotted by said day job to pursue writing. Without the pressure of needing my writing to be my live..."Thanks. I liked what you had to say about receiving alternate criticisms on the same areas of your writing-one reader wanted more of something, one wanted less.
You can drive yourself crazy worrying about other people's opinions of your writing. Really, most of it ultimately boils down to personal tastes, so write what moves you :0)
I wish I could write the book that would make me super wealthy. But my heart wouldn't be in it and I'm not sure I could fake it.From reading these posts, I get this picture of a writer sitting in his office saying, "Screw the world. I'm going to write this book. Everyone's going to be bored. But I don't care."
I imagine most of us write what's in our heart and we hope people besides ourselves will like it.
I had regular readers for my blog and I could tell they liked certain subjects more than others. I kept writing the posts that didn't interest them, not because I liked talking to myself. But I figured my blog will be here for awhile. Maybe these posts will one day find someone who appreciates them.
You never know. A writer could write a type of book that's very unpopular. Then later it becomes a huge trend.
Lily wrote: "http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vu84YE71TZs...:)"
Completely accurate (except I think my desk is messier).
Dina wrote: "I wish I could write the book that would make me super wealthy. But my heart wouldn't be in it and I'm not sure I could fake it."I could see myself doing it for the challenge. I've just started on a novel length project in first person because I've never written first person before. That's enough to keep me interested and get me to study what's already out there. I don't know if it would be the same for writing in a genre but it would be cool to find out. :-)
YES!!!!!