I'm in a writer's group. It's not a secret. There's a "wonder twin powers: activate!" thing going on in there; people are sharing ideas, helping each other edit the crap out of a good story, and giving invaluable feedback. It's unlike other groups I've participated in, which were akin to a reader's circle. We'd share and clap and smile politely, none of us really invested in the others.
My point is: there is such a thing as the wrong audience. There is such a thing as the wrong reader. While I would love to believe that my work is for "everyone", the fact remains that a portion of a percentage are actually going to want to read my work, based on whatever mashup of words lands on the back cover (or, synopsis). I've had a couple of those "You can't sit with us!" experiences lately, and I'll be honest - they knocked my ego on its ass.
I tend to write from the gut. My imagination is a pretty dark and twisted place to be, because it's an extension of my real-life experiences. I don't live in a sitcom world where every problem I've ever had is solved in the span of 30 carefully edited minutes. I don't have a laugh track accompanying my sarcasm. I don't even have theme music!
What I do have is this catalog of stories that itch at my hands. They scratch and whine until I get moving, creating dialogue and scenes that I've been staring at for years in the cinema of my mind. There are family stories that beg to be told, lest they die and fade from memory like their cast of characters has. There are stories that come from seemingly nowhere; nightmares, conversations with hyperactive children, day dreams while driving (To the driver of the Subaru on Route 1 - sorry. I was busy "writing". I'm sure you can buff that out).
... and someday, when the planets align and the stars are just so, the right readers will find me.
I've seen it happen to you, too. Stop pitching fantasy to housewives that want to read inaccurate descriptions of S&M. Dystopian sci-fi rarely can't hold a conversation at the historical romance table - don't sit there! Your people are out there, waiting for you. You just need to look - and submit - in the right places.
My point is: there is such a thing as the wrong audience. There is such a thing as the wrong reader. While I would love to believe that my work is for "everyone", the fact remains that a portion of a percentage are actually going to want to read my work, based on whatever mashup of words lands on the back cover (or, synopsis). I've had a couple of those "You can't sit with us!" experiences lately, and I'll be honest - they knocked my ego on its ass.
I tend to write from the gut. My imagination is a pretty dark and twisted place to be, because it's an extension of my real-life experiences. I don't live in a sitcom world where every problem I've ever had is solved in the span of 30 carefully edited minutes. I don't have a laugh track accompanying my sarcasm. I don't even have theme music!
What I do have is this catalog of stories that itch at my hands. They scratch and whine until I get moving, creating dialogue and scenes that I've been staring at for years in the cinema of my mind. There are family stories that beg to be told, lest they die and fade from memory like their cast of characters has. There are stories that come from seemingly nowhere; nightmares, conversations with hyperactive children, day dreams while driving (To the driver of the Subaru on Route 1 - sorry. I was busy "writing". I'm sure you can buff that out).
... and someday, when the planets align and the stars are just so, the right readers will find me.
I've seen it happen to you, too. Stop pitching fantasy to housewives that want to read inaccurate descriptions of S&M. Dystopian sci-fi rarely can't hold a conversation at the historical romance table - don't sit there! Your people are out there, waiting for you. You just need to look - and submit - in the right places.