Sunday, December 12, 2010

Question:

Who do you write for?



I ask because authors always say to "write for yourself" and not your audience, which seems like sound advice. Lately, and this may be incited by my blues, I haven't felt like I'm writing for myself. I've been writing more out of habit than passion. I'm not writing for an audience, since I don't have one, but when I do write I can't help but think "What will my audience think of this?" Is that wrong?



I also want to broaden my reading shelf. Lately all I've been reading is M/M romance, which is good and all, but I think it's killed my creativity. Or at least tied it up and shoved pillows in its face. I used to write stories that didn't involve romance at all, but now there is always at least a romantic plot line. What happened to me?

(I, of course, have theories on the matter: Because I'm single and rather happy with the rest of my life and romance is the one thing I'm missing, that is what I tend to focus on and want happy endings for. Also, I think I write what I read.)



What's one book that you think is an absolute MUST read that doesn't involve/focus on a romantic relationship? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

2 comments:

  1. I write, first and formost, for myself or the story. I have a story I want to tell, and I write it. To the extent the story is "organic," I'm writing for the story.

    I guess I write certain parts for potential readers, or use certain words or edit out certain events or handle them in various ways depending on who might be reading. You always have an audience, even if its only a "target" audience and not a legit audience, yet. YA is going to be written differently than WWII alternative history, for instance.

    Hunger Games has a romantic element, but its entirely chaste relationships, since its YA. In fact, its oddly, over the top, chaste. It's almost unbelievable. It's certainly not the focus.

    The Unnamed involves a marriage and father/daughter relationship, but its mostly one man's struggle with his disease (uncontrollable walking). I highly recommend it. Both sound like they differ from your usual material.

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  2. I knew you'd recommend Hunger Games. I'd probably tend toward that because The Unnamed was described as a "devastatingly sad story."

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