When you’re writing your particular story, it’s natural for you to wonder how it will appeals to the public.
However, it’s okay if the answer is “it doesn’t.” Your work doesn’t need to appeal to everyone because all writers carve out their own particular niche.
Consider for a moment: as Seth Godin in a recent post says, most businesses (and writing is most certainly a business on some level) are built on a customer base that could be described as “almost no one.”
Most people in the world—or even just the country you live in—don’t visit your favorite restaurant or read your favorite author’s books. We all know about big name companies and that’s great, but lots of smaller businesses, freelancers, and artists thrive even though most people don’t know their names.
Consider for a moment: as Seth Godin in a recent post says, most businesses (and writing is most certainly a business on some level) are built on a customer base that could be described as “almost no one.”
Most people in the world—or even just the country you live in—don’t visit your favorite restaurant or read your favorite author’s books. We all know about big name companies and that’s great, but lots of smaller businesses, freelancers, and artists thrive even though most people don’t know their names.
Rare indeed is a market where everyone is active.
We think we’re designing and selling to everyone, but that doesn’t match reality. It makes no sense at all to dumb down your best work to appeal to the longtime bystander, because the bystander isn’t interested. And it certainly makes no sense to try to convert your biggest critics, because they’ve got a lot at stake in their role of being your critic.
We think we’re designing and selling to everyone, but that doesn’t match reality. It makes no sense at all to dumb down your best work to appeal to the longtime bystander, because the bystander isn’t interested. And it certainly makes no sense to try to convert your biggest critics, because they’ve got a lot at stake in their role of being your critic.
Clearly, that doesn’t mean that you can reject any criticism you ever get because “Well, it’s not for you.”
It does mean that if you can find an audience for the work you do, then you can write and create as you please, tell the stories you long to tell and speak the truth of your soul as you know it.
All that matters is that it appeals to your audience, not to everyone in the world.
It does mean that if you can find an audience for the work you do, then you can write and create as you please, tell the stories you long to tell and speak the truth of your soul as you know it.
All that matters is that it appeals to your audience, not to everyone in the world.
(Inspired by a great post in Lifehacker)
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