I write for myself in that I choose my subjects and stories based on what interests me and not based on what I think will sell. I write for an audience in the sense that a story doesn’t feel truly complete to me until I find a home for it somewhere that it can reach potential readers. So I suppose I do write with a hypothetical audience in mind – because really, the only reason for me to put any story down in words is to share it with someone else, even if that someone else is just myself in the future, looking through old journals. Otherwise, it’d be easy enough to just think out stories as daydreams and keep them in that nebulous (perfect) state, and never bother to write any of them down.
I do the same thing, both writing in the fandom and academic work. Quite a few submission calls I give a pass simply because I cannot think of anything I would have interest in or could write in. I submitted to Rabbit Valley’s role reversal anthology last minute because a friend requested I write a certain type of story that fit into that theme. I jumped on FANG 6 because I’d already spent time writing Victorian male-male erotica and came up with an idea instantly. Likewise, I recently gave several conferences and journal calls for academic work a pass simply because they did not fit what I can do enough.
However, I have found that leaving a story in my head bothers me, even if it winds up just an idea paragraph lost in a computer or notebook somewhere. The whole reason I started writing was because of a reoccurring dream whenever I had a fever before I was even a teenager. And it just so happened to involve the anthropomorphic animated version of David Copperfield. As time went on I could recall less and less which is why I started writing that story. I didn’t write it to share (although I did) and I have not touched it in nearly a decade (although I wouldn’t mind) but the anxiety and fear I felt about possibly missing out on an unfinished story was too much.
I feel it is enough to experience a story through writing even if you do just once and then it is gone. A musician Kim Boekbinder recently did a transient music project where she would release a song and that song would only exist for short time (although difficult in digital world). So even if I or anyone else, never reads the short story I wrote yesterday, the act of telling that story to myself the first time is enough.
I’ve always been a Switch. (Is it ok to throw around BDSM terms here? I’ve never been a good judge)
I absolutely love to write a story that will please and move a specific someone or audience when I’m in that space as a writer. I did that recently when I wrote a story for Rain Furrest. It went long and I felt bad and love that I got a chance to rewrite it. I loved that it was accepted… and I might be a little Sammy about it too because… well, there’s an explicit rape in there as a weapon, as it’s something I wouldn’t write if I were asked to write it… but it’s what the character wanted to do, so I let her.
But on the other hand, I will write stories for me. When I am like that, I am happy if a Reader is moved to some emotion, Any emotion. I’ve moved them, even if only to disgust, then I think that is a good thing. When I write in that space, I handle criticism differently. I’m ok with the grammar corrections and aphasia catches, but I might pontificate over the handling of a death scene if questioned. I write then to be true, true to me, true to reality (such as it is at the moment), and true to the characters.
I couldn’t pick one over the other for better stories. But at this point, writing for others is, pragmatically the faster way to get published… if you can read your audience or know your audience… and that’s not a skill everyone has.
It’s not a skill I always have.
Either way, both require craft and commitment, and as a pounder of keyboards who likes to see his name in print, sometimes that requires compromise.
Always write for yourself. If you don’t enjoy it, neither will the readers.
That being said, there is nothing wrong with trying to write stuff that you think might be more successful, that you think might have a larger audience. But still, you have to write what you want to read, because if you don’t like it, no one else will. As for writing ‘literary fiction’, well you may get famous for writing it, but you’ll never make a lot of money at it. Because the fans of literary fiction are few and far between. Now if you can combine that with something that is more popular, good for you.
But you have to ask yourself the question: “Why do I want to write?” Before you can ever progress.
Someone asked here as well: Is writing an art, or is it a job? It’s both. I don’t see why some people think that art and work are separate, or that you are less of an artist if you get paid for your work. The difference between getting paid for art, and not getting paid, is the difference between being an amateur or a professional. Amateurs do not get paid. Professionals do.
Now this isn’t to say you can’t be a great Amateur, or a poor professional, but when you are getting paid for your art (or better yet, making a living at it) you enter a different level of your profession, and if you want to be successful, you have to approach it in a different way.
Sure, I could vomit out something along the lines of Fifty Shades and probably make a fortune, but…why? I’d just feel…dirty. And that’s even assuming it went any further than fanfiction.net. No one in their right mind goes into writing for the money. The market is so fickle that you’d have better luck buying a lottery ticket.
I don’t think the question has an answer, to be perfectly honest. Writing means something different to every writer, even changes between projects. One story might be for a specific audience, another might be entirely for the author. I don’t think one is better than the other; I don’t even think that’s a think you could peg down. It’s like comparing sharks and tigers. You just can’t compare them.
In the end, just write to whatever works for you. If writing for an audience inspires you, go for it. If you’d rather entertain yourself first, why not? As long as you’re WRITING, the nature of the audience doesn’t exactly matter, does it?
Addendum: Genre writing is very clearly a specific audience, and I’m making a special exception here for it because genre writing has rules, often very specific ones, and you’ll alienate the entire fanbase if you bend or break those rules too much. You can most certainly try to write for your own amusement in a genre, but you can’t have flying space ponies and expect the hard sci-fi readers to buy it.
I was about to write something of similar sentiment when the tigrox here worded it so much better X3
There’s a ton of stories I could enjoy writing. Some of them match better with the markets that are available. I prioritize those stories.
So, both. I write for both myself and the market.
I think the key part here, though, is that you choose from all the numerous stories you could enjoy writing. While you prioritize based on the market, they still fall under that umbrella.
By the time I’m done prioritizing, they fall under both umbrellas.
I think the key part here is that you need to get a bunch of umbrellas to help you decide which stories to write.
With all these umbrellas, you’d think this was Seattle!
Eugene is known for its rain too!
Maybe you can’t compare them. I can. And I say that tigers are better dancers than sharks:
I’ve changed my mind. I don’t write for the audience or myself. I write for dancing tigers and sharks. (They do not count as an audience, as most tigers and sharks can neither read nor pay for stories.)
Ooh, they could dance with the umbrellas!
XD Would be interesting for the sharks under deh sea!