Audience
Yesterday, Demon Baby created multiple paintings with watercolors, and I created an art gallery for him to show his work. Each painting has a name, which he never had to even pause to think about. They were all pretty unusual names for a four-year-old's art (not that this surprises me). The one in the photo is the Chinese Dragon of True Love. Other paintings were The Origins of World Peace, The Mystical Arts of Peace and Love, and The Dragon of Fates.
I worked very hard to maintain my level of enthusiasm for each masterpiece. By the tenth one--because I was not allowed to look at them sitting down, but had to leap up and view them from a certain angle--I was hoping Picasso might take a break.
"I want to make one for Miss Marybeth," he said. (Our most favoritest neighbor.) So he painted one for her.
Next he wanted to paint for all our neighbors. The thing is . . . other than two of our neighbors, we aren't particularly friendly with any of them. I don't want to get caught up in gossip and the mom-clucking that goes on when it seems like you get a few of the women around here together. So I keep to myself.
"But . . . we can't just randomly knock on doors giving away your paintings. They're too valuable."
That seemed to appease him, but I could see the disappointment on his face. You paint to share.
You write to share.
I wonder, as people struggle for contracts, or stuggle for their first contract, what part is wanting approval ("You're a real, live writer because you've been PAID!"), what part is dream (name on a cover), what part is fantasy ("A seven-figure deal at auction!"), and what part is wanting to share your work with others.
I tend to think of audience last, since I have many ideas that will never see the light of day, but that doesn't mean I won't play with them. But I do enjoy sharing with my critique group and my beta reader. I like to see if they got my meaning, or where I succeeded in stirring the emotion I intended.
But I don't know. Being published, in some ways, is like knocking on random doors. They don't know me. They buy my book--it's out there somewhere. Communicating. Sharing.
How about you? Where does the audience come into play?
34 comments:
Quite the young artiste!
I try to write things that I would like to read, in hopes that there are a bunch of folks out there who share my tastes. To me, an audience is what makes the work come alive.
Jude:
Why? (Not arguing, but just going deeper). Do you plan to engage in discussion with them (i.e., once it's published, you generally lose dialogue with it). Just wondering what about that is satusfying to you.
E
Y'know, this just made me sigh. (Big sigh). I'm aware of my audience, such as it is. I'm aware that the readers of the Derek Stillwater novels are mostly male (not exclusively, but mostly male; and you should see the fan mail I get, because 99% of the time it says something like: I bought this book for my husband, who doesn't read that much, and he absolutely loved it, just thought I'd let you know; maybe I'll read it next.)
I think of my audience as smarter than I am. As impatient. Busy (very).
That said, in a lot of ways I can't think about the audience. I write what appeals to me and what I have found editors will acquire. Which is maybe why I keep trying other types of things, to see if I can broaden what editors will acquire from me.
I've always puzzled over a comment Peter Straub made in an interview once about how he writes to please his editor and his agent first, himself, then his audience.
And really, we have to write to please our editor and agent first, in many ways, don't we?
Mark:
This is something I struggle with as well. I have a proposal I really like personally, but my agent thinks needs a different opening--based on HIS taste and not what I think the STORY supports. It's a give and take--he thinks he knows what the AUDIENCE expects. I hope the audience likes what's there. It's a balancing act. Totally.
And it's funny, because I generating a ton of fan mail from Freudian Slip--much of it from new readers (different imprint). But one review on Amazon was from someone who has read everything I've ever written and didn't find it edgy enough. So who's the audience?
E
Since I'm not published yet I can only imagine, but I think it would be satisfying knowing that my thoughts and emotions from now are going to be transferred to a bunch of strangers' brains a year or so from now. It's like magic, you know? Or telepathy or something. Discussion might come in the form of letters or reviews, but it's really just knowing that some people (a whole lot of them, ideally!) are being entertained and maybe even enlightened a bit by my efforts.
Today's post sparked several thoughts:
(1) The importance of titles. I'd buy a book with the title The Chinese Dragon of True Love.
(2) Why do I write? For me it has gone through stages. There was a time when I dreamed of selling a book and having my name on the cover.
Now, it is the process of writing itself I love. I like working out the story, seeing something work, rewriting a couple paragraphs eighty zillion times and knowing that finally, they work or have to be cut.
For me, most times, if the writing doesn't work, I need to cut words.
(3) The positive about being published was that it gave me objective reviews of my work. I now know I am a good (maybe not great, but good) writer of a certain type, and that is satisfying. I have more confidence in what I'm doing now.
(4) My ideal situation would be to write for a small audience. Since I don't write for a living, I think that, for me, fame or bestsellerdom would be way more trouble than it is worth. (This is not sour grapes. I didn't much like messing with the publishing part of the book, though the people involved were wonderful.)
I write two to three books a year. I will try to market some of my books, but to trade publishers who appeal to smaller audiences.
Jude:
I got you! Just was curious. I don't find I really consider that . . . though I will say with Freudian Slip, since it playfully included some thoughts I really DO have on the universe . . . I thought about it a little more than usual.
E
Joe:
Great thoughts today. Yes . . . I thought all the titles of his paintings intrigued me. Not only were they neat titles . . . I was stunned at how firmly he was sure of the titles and how unusual they were for a boy his age.
I totally agree with you that knowing there is some . . . somewhat objective stamp of approval on your writing is satisfying.
And I TOTALLY relate that now that I am published, I am back to caring more about the writing itself--I just enjoy myself!
E
I write to live. I have those things in my soul that need an outlet, someplace other than the loony bin to vent my ideas and thoughts.
that said, I have always enjoyed the expression people have when they read my work.
I guess that colors me in the symbiotic relationship block.
Oh, and the money helps to fund my hobbies, like collecting heat, air conditioning, and groceries.
I tend to write directly for my editors. At any given time, I'm writing for three to five editors (that includes nonfiction and my innumerable fiction revisions). Each has different needs, so I work hard to meet their needs. I think a large part of being a successful freelancer is making your editors' lives easy :)
Anyway, the editors are the gatekeepers. They're the ones who 1) really and truly know their target audience and 2) control what writing makes into publication, whether it's newspaper, magazine or book. So in a way, it's not actually my job to know the audience -- that's the editor's job. My job is to provide the editor with the wordish tools he or she needs to satisfy their given audience.
Although I still haven't sold fiction, it's pretty much the same thing there. I've been unabashedly writing for my editors, assuming and trusting that they know what they're doing and that, even if they don't, I'll never sell unless they're on board. Maybe, with enough success, the equation changes, but I'm not there yet.
My plans have...shifted, over the past couple of days. After a lot of reflection on the matter I realized something. As much as I want to be published, and get an agent, and do book signings, and sign movie/animation deals.
I want to write more.
I love writing. I love story telling. I don't love stress. I don't love worrying.
So I've decided, I'm going to wait until the end of high school before I start looking for agents and trying to get published. The whole thing would be too much right now, and really, I'm just a kid.
Agents and editors are bound to love something I write. But I want to have options. I can finish three-six manuscripts between now and graduation day. Then, I 'll go from there.
I've been far too worried about my audience,and not worried enough about my own tastes.
I've struggled with the answer to this question. Part of the struggle for me has been how I defined "audience." When I began writing I wrote for the joy of it, to create a work of art. Then I joined a writing group and found myself writing for them -- to please them as though they were my audience (will anybody think I can write?). As I explored the world of publishing, I found myself shift toward writing to please potential agents and editors. Would some professional out there please tell me I can write?Then it seems the more I read agent and author blogs, I found myself wanting to join their "club" -- get a BOOK published so I could consider myself a REAL writer.
A year ago I realized I no longer wrote for the joy of it. I longed to go back and be the artist, create what I create because it's part of why I exist - sort of like your little boy. It's easy to get caught up in the great publishing dream, but I think I've stepped off that path, choosing instead the path of the artist.
BTW - your term "mom-clucking" cracked me up.
Allen:
I write certain things to earn a living. I write overall to stay sane, I suppose. Or what passes as sanity.
E
Lurker:
I have a very similar set of logic about it.
E
JT:
Well, I think that's a totally reasonable plan. How many people would even finish high school with that much fiction?!
E
Beth:
I have a feeling for most of us, the path meanders at times. Sometimes we go back to just writing to please us . . . sometimes the dream seems so close and we might alter our plans . . . I am finding I am getting somewhat more insular in my creating.
E
I write with the hope that someday kids will love my books with the same passion I had for certain books when I was a kid. So far the closest I've gotten to that is through a shy girl who was a beta reader for my first MG novel. She confided that it was the best book she'd ever read. Unfortunately, agents and editors have disagreed. But everyday that summer this girl walked her dog by my house and put my newspaper on my porch. That felt good.
Vonna:
What a totally special experience. That's awesome! To be honest, kid fan mail is my ultimate favorite. They are so enthused and honest and special as an audience.
E
I think of audience almost constantly. I love to be read.
I've always considered writing to be a group sport! It's not finished until it's exchanged and read. That's why I don't keep a personal journal. (Though even those are sometimes read by future-yous.) Today's my critique group day and I'm so excited to find out if what I've been writing is working!
JT, I think you're very wise in your new-found focus. Very first, before all else, we write for self. After all, as my husband says, "You're the first reader of your work."
It's also why I feel so fortunate to be betas for great writers. When I read my friend Stuart's book or my friend's Lesley's story that ended up in Asimov's, or a fabulous story for my magazine, I knew. I knew I was seeing something special and I was (often) first to see it. It's an exciting feeling of discovery.
So yeah, I feel really strongly about audience. But I also struggle with balancing it with expressing my own vision. I think that struggle/dichotomy might be what being a writer is.
I wouldn't say I necessarily need other's approval, but I love seeing people's reactions to something I created, whether it's a new design (like my website), a story, or a joke. I like entertaining people with something that came out of my brain.
That said, when I'm writing or creating, I'm not thinking about the audience. I may take a step back and wonder how it'll be received, but that's not on my mind during the process.
starbucks:
I feel that way about my crit group, too. There is something very special about sharing and seeing (first peek!) their work.
E
Well, ya' know my answer to this. :-) For me, the audience is part of the "play" of writing a story. I feel like a tour guide in a haunted house, telling a story while leading them down passages for their maximum surprise or horror. Pulling them in and touching them are the reason I write my stories down, the reason I make all decisions concerning "how" I tell my story.
I may not be effective all the time, but it's how I am. I was the same way with performing: I wouldn't just listen to my music; I'd listen to the audience and interact with their attention, try to surprise them and lead them into the music. I'd "show" them which voice to listen to, which bits were special, which bits carried which emotions.
For me, the audience is the purpose of creation, the canvas I paint on, my partner in the dance. I wouldn't do it without them. I like what Jude first said: "an audience is what makes the work come alive."
Melanie:
I could totally relate. Not during the process, but fun to gage afterwards.
E
I wish I was your neighbor because I miss having 4-year-old expressive art around my home. If DB was on my block, I'd probably ask if I could watch him create and sneak him a snack so that he'd make one just for me. Kids are so pure in their motivation to share their work. It's not about recognition or money or approval, it's truly about sharing a part of themselves in the hopes that someone in addition them will garner some joy. It never occurs to them someone wouldn't want it (banish the thought). If DB's paintings were foldable, I'd tell you to mail me one. (I'm no fool, it's going to be worth buku bucks one day)
For a long time I wrote because I had personal stories to tell. Then I wrote to be read, still telling those tales. When I tried fiction - which was only about 2 years ago - I did it to see if I could - and I'm still there. Can I weave a delicate yet intricate story with fully formed characters, a plot with no dropped threads and make it a page-turner? Can I draw all those pieces out of myself and have a finished product? I do think about the audience because if those pieces fit, then I believe the novel as a whole will resonate with others. But if I didn't simply enjoy the act of writing and figuring out the answers to all those questions, I wouldn't do it. My dream has always been to publish a book.
Can I pitch my novel to Demon Baby and see if he can come up with a better title?
Since I'm fairly new on the scene I don't necessarily write to an audience. In the editing stage I might have audience in mind when I'm trying for clarity and if I've created a sympathetic character. Was everything I knew on the page. Was it what the reader needed to know. But I think that's a different answer for a different question.
Now when I truly think of my audience? When I'm promoting. I try to find outlets where readers would be interested in what I write. But, again it's at the stage I am in my career. I'm looking to gain the audience, not yet trying to please them.
Loved the names of the paintings!!
I write the types of books I want to read. An audience for my books would be great, but I'm so far from that(no agent yet), that it doesn't enter my head but hopefully one day!
Wow Erica, you have a talented family. Your daughter plays music, baby paints and you write. That's great.
Natasha:
LOL! When I wrote the post, I knew you were going to have an answer somewhat along those lines. :-)
E
Amy:
I think for a lot of freelance writers there's a progression along those lines.
E
Richmond:
I'm sure he'd be happy to. ;-)
Melissa:
Editing is probably when I become more acutely aware of it.
E
Nadine:
I think audience changes--crit group, agent hunt, your personal agent, editors, your editor, readers.
E
La:
I also have a filmmaker, and a math genius. :-)
E
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