As a writer you grow over time as you increase your
knowledge and skills concerning the craft of writing. Once you’re published you put your work out
there for the world to read and judge.
The judging comes in many forms and various areas.
I started writing with stories that I knew I would like to
read that haven’t been written yet in spite of the continued advice from many
to know your audience, or target market.
I have a problem with the concept of a target market because how can you
qualify the myriad of people you may never meet who will read your work. Plus the judging comes from those who read it
and those who don’t. I have had one
instance already in my infinitesimal writing career where the book reviewer admittedly
deleted the book on the second page yet went on to write a wonderfully horrible
review of my work. I have had others who
claim to have read my work yet sited things that were not in the book that they
hated, which lends one to wonder what they actually read.
My point of this post is that humans are as varied as the
grains of sands on a beach and we all like and appreciate different
things. What one person finds beautiful
and heart stirring another finds as an abomination to God, as if they were able
to judge what a God might actually think or find offensive. As this has dawned on me I realize the
authors that really stuck a cord with me personally wrote about aspects of the
human condition, good and bad. They
explored and danced around controversial issues of the past, current day or age
old problems we may still be dealing with in a possible different future.
To grow as a writer I personally feel each of us will come
to that place where we realize if we are to continue with the enterprise of
writing that we have to quit worrying about offending other people. Write the best we can write and put it out
there and let the world decide what they are intelligent enough, open minded
enough, honest enough to accept about the world we live in and the aspects (ALL
OF THEM) that make up the human condition which we refer to as life.
I just personally stepped over that imaginary line in the
sand. Faced with a new series that I not
only want to write, that begs to be written.
It screams to be explored, revealed, and brings the darkness out into
the light. It has the potential to be a
multi-genre piece of work which could easily span several full length
novels. It will bring tons of criticism
and scorn from many people. It has the
potential to put my up there with some of the greats whose books have been
banned from entire countries. Until I
can be brave enough to write it and publish such stories regardless of what
others may think it won’t be written and I won’t be able to grow as a writer.
I have played it safe since I started down this new path in
2010. Before publishing my first two
books I went to great lengths to censor myself and tone down my writing from the
language I use to the scenes I portrayed in my books. After an eye opening experience recently with
a rather narrow minded person and thinking about the brave writers like Ray
Bradbury who we so recently lost, I feel ashamed to have watered down my work and
filter it in the name of making it more pleasing to the general public. This blog was started to chronicle my
discoveries as a writer, share tidbits of writing discoveries I have figured
out as I progress down this path. To not
face this shift in spirit and honesty publically here in my blog would be
remiss of me.
The gloves are off from here on out and I will write
strictly from my heart and mind. If the
mass of the reading public doesn’t approve and my writing doesn’t become recognized
as an accurate picture of the day in age through which we live and that I write
during, then so be it. If I don’t become
considered a literary master in my lifetime and my books don’t gain the status
of greatness until long after I am dead then so be it. I will have joined a very distinguished group
of authors at that point. I don’t want
to write watered down, lame ass crap to sell more books. I truly want to write the books I would love
to read that haven’t been written yet, and appeal to the more intelligent open minded
people who read and will change the world over time. If I never take a stand issues, don’t take
risks with the situations and things my books deal with then I am not being
true to myself as a person or a writer but most importantly I am short changing
the reader.
People read an extremely wide range of books and what
becomes popular in many cases ruffles a lot of feathers and pisses people
off. I am stepping up from an aspiring
writer with great ideas to the field of an experienced author who doesn’t give
a shit what might make you blush, offend your virgin ears, or challenge your
beliefs. As a true writer I should
wallow in the depths of the human condition and all its muck and filth and show
how the human spirit and will to survive will triumph over all. I should inspire people to be more than they
dream they are capable of. I should make
churches, governments and those who wish to control the masses terrified of us
free thinkers who will steal and hide to read to let our minds be free. To provide hope for the hearts of people who
have never tasted freedom, who have lived through or are currently enduring
persecution and those who will silently watch our freedoms be taken away and
destroyed for the sake of change and progress.
Amen, Lecture over.
Writers get back to work; we have hearts and minds to perverse with
radical ideas.
Starting Tomorrow - Tuesday - Wednesday - Thursday
My First Novel "WHISPER" will be free on AMAZON Dot Com.
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