Into the Fire

I think it’s just as important to understand who you are not as a writer. Less likely to mislead readers and receive aggravated reviews. I’m not saying you should mimic me in giving disclaimers to what you write. Good grief—I’m too protective of both readers and myself.

But, seriously, as a writer, knowing who you’re not can often define who you are. And in that narrowing down process, you might discover exactly who your audience is or who you intend it to be. It might elicit more precision in your writing, and/or it might redefine for yourself what you really write or should be writing.

I do think novelists can evolve to a degree. They either become tighter writers—which in my opinion isn’t always best, contrary to popular opinion—or they can change their genres. Expand their niche or their flair for new adventures. Angela Hunt and Travis Thrasher come to mind, although Angela Hunt hasn’t really “changed” a genre, she just continues to explore a multitude of story types which fuel her tagline: “Expect the Unexpected.” She’s a rare gem. Travis Thrasher still writes romance but has migrated to horror of all things. Can you attempt two such opposite genres? Yet he pulls it off.

It’s important to concern yourself with both you who are and who you’re not. All of us desire a wide audience, but, let’s face it, even a small audience is hard to come by in the current writing world. The plethora of novels out there is a fair indicator of the uphill climb for recognition. As soon as all of the initial hype of marketing ceases for a debut or recent release, if enough people haven’t read and recommended your novel to others, it won’t be pretty. This is why platform is emphasized more and more with fiction authors. Who do you know who will go out and buy your book? Who will read it and recommend it to others? Who will give you a stirring review which will ultimately influence others to buy that thing? How do you reach the audience which will most likely experience your book the way you hope?

Discovering who you’re not might be as important as learning who you are as a writer. For your sake and for your eventual audience’s.

Lord, thank you for listening to me, for helping me write, for giving me stories. You’re the audience who matters most. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.