Should authors write selfishly for themselves or thoughtfully for their readers?

Here are responses, with permission, from the authors:

Author 12

When I begin writing a story, it's always because its characters, setting and/or plot intrigue me, and I want to see what will happen. In some ways, I approach writing fiction in much the same way as I approach reading it: I want to get to know the characters and see what they'll do.

Once I've written the story, I go back to see if I've said anything that would be of use to anyone else.

Sometimes, my writing has helped me sort out my thoughts on something, but it wouldn't really be meaningful to anyone else; those are the stories that I leave behind. Other times, though, I think that my story might be important for other people, too. For example, I started writing Maggie and the Chocolate War for myself because, as a child, I didn't see myself as having much power over anything, and so I was intrigued by this historical event where kids gathered together to change the world around them.

After I read over my first draft, I began thinking about present-day kids who might also feel that they don't have much say. I thought it would be great for them to read a story that shows just how much power they can have. That's when I got to work on rewriting thoughtfully, with my audience in mind.

So in my case, I have to begin by writing for my own enjoyment: if I'm not enjoying myself while writing, then my writing certainly isn't going to be very interesting or worth reading for anyone else. On the other hand, if I don't write thoughtfully for my readers, then I'm just indulging in a big monologue, and I'm really not trying to communicate. And if I'm not communicating, then why bother writing? Isn't that what writing is all about, after all?

That's my two-cents worth. Thanks again for the interesting question.

Cheers,

Michelle Mulder.

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Author 13

What a difficult question to answer! For me, the problem lies in the words “selfishly” and “thoughtfully". Ask me simply,.“Do you write for yourself, or for others?” and I can answer without hesitation, “for both”.

I write thoughtfully for myself, because I set myself a high standard (which like most writers I seldom manage to achieve) and much thought goes into every sentence I produce. I write thoughtfully for others, because my readers deserve the best and most entertaining story I can tell. But can the act of writing ever be selfish, any more than painting a picture, or singing, or playing an instrument, can be selfish? Writing is what writers do. It’s the act that consumes their energy and defines their identity; and by its very nature it’s a shared experience, a communication between the artist and the audience.

Eileen Kernaghan
lonewolf@uniserve.com
www.eileenkernaghan.ca

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Author 14

I believe writers always do both.

Like artists, musicians athletes, figure skaters and teachers who pursue their chosen work because they are passionate about what they do, writers 'write' because we, too, are following our passion. We love to express ourselves in words. Writing  brings us great satisfaction. However, we also want our words to elicit an emotional response from a reader. We want our work to move our readers in some way. For that reason, we are sensitive to the audience for which our work is intended  so we write thoughtfully for our readers.

All the best,
Shelley

Shelley Hrdlitschka
Author of Award Winning Teen Fiction
http://members.shaw.ca/shelleyhrdlitschka/
http://shelleyhrdlitschka.blogspot.com/

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