Authors and fans

[farad]

I've been having a conversation with a good friend recently about why we write, who we write for (ourselves or others), and how much those things affect what we write.  I came across the essay this morning, "Are Writers Too Insulated from Their Readers?" and it gave me pause, particularly these two paragraphs:

"Nevertheless, it helped me realize a very important truth: Unlike writers, readers have only “one part” to satisfy. What I mean by that is, Writers must wrestle with the technical details of a story while trying to enjoy it. Readers only want to enjoy it. To lose sight of this dynamic is to lose sight of our ultimate aim.

If you’re reading this post, you’re probably a writer. Like me, you enjoy learning about craft, publishing trends, and marketing tips. You listen intently to the debate about self-publishing and traditional publishing. You also are uniquely warmed by recognition, encouragement, and praise from other writers. But please understand this: Most of your readers probably don’t care about any of that."

I think the last part is most important; especially for those of us writing in fandom, where there is no monetary reward to let you know people are buying your works (though thankfully, AO3 has the hit counter and 'kudos' button!).  Our readers mostly want 'the guys'!

Comments

[solosundance]

I was struck by the section of the essay where he says how the reader part of him enjoyed a certain piece of writing and wanted to know what happened etc. while the writer part of him thought it clunky. Sometimes I happily suspend my "writer" part to read and enjoy stuff (fanfic as well as original), but sometimes it's not so easy. I'm wondering now if I also suspend my "reader" self when I'm writing... Maybe that's what's happening when the muse finally stops shillyshallying and takes over...

[farad]

I think for many of us, particularly fanfic writers, the 'reader-self' is very much at play; I was lamenting recently that I can't finish writing a story if I know the ending too soon - it's as if the writing of the story is also the reading of the story and if I know too much about what's going to happen, I get bored with it. I rarely know the ending of the story until I'm writing it. *g*

(Which may not be a good thing, I might add . . . .)

I still find myself caught up in stories where the prose is not great, but the characters and the plot are so good that I'm not aware of the writing, other than in places where some particular thing catches my attention. I adore pro writers like John Sandford and Robert B. Parker, who aren't great stylists but who have awesome characters and very few style-issues that distract me from the story.