My fellow writer David Bridger recently shared his thoughts about who his audience is, and that post got me thinking about what I write and why, which inevitably led to some other topics as well. Like David, I write what I love. And that doesn’t always translate into large audiences for my work.
I completely agree with you when it comes to writing fiction. Mind you, I do recall back when I used to work as a feature writer for a living. There were a whole lot of magazine and newspaper articles I wrote that were basically hackwork to pay the bills. I don't regret that. I'd rather have been writing advertising features for a property newspaper (one of my roles) than working at the local supermarket on the tills.
I don't think you're selfish, I agree with your thoughts. I think it's more important than ever to be authentic in an age of AI and a bewildering choice of books.
Am I a selfish writer?
I completely agree with you when it comes to writing fiction. Mind you, I do recall back when I used to work as a feature writer for a living. There were a whole lot of magazine and newspaper articles I wrote that were basically hackwork to pay the bills. I don't regret that. I'd rather have been writing advertising features for a property newspaper (one of my roles) than working at the local supermarket on the tills.
I don't think you're selfish, I agree with your thoughts. I think it's more important than ever to be authentic in an age of AI and a bewildering choice of books.
Your lovely writing is .S.elf-honouring, and that helps all who read it 🙏
I like your thoughts on this and your fiction. I'm glad you and I are both free to write what we love.