The last two weeks have been low productivity weeks. I have only posted quotes and I know I promised on previous AL1W to post a review on something. Some of you might have recognized it but I wasn’t paying any attention. I have into fallen into a rut. I’m a turtle lying on its back, rocking to get back on my feet. Pardon me, this may look a little ugly and take more time than I bargained.
To get back on track, I’m reading what I have written in my projects so far. I am listening to podcast that encourage writing. On one of the episodes, the hosts asked listening writers, who are they writing for? Then they gave reasons why it is important to have a specific audience in mind. The easy answer to this question is everyone but it is suggested that is not possible or achievable. My answer is I am writing for myself. But there are issues with that answer as well. The answer is not as selfish as it seems. I mean I am writing for someone like me. When I am a reader, I’m looking for a book that has action, romance, mystery, thrills, and comfort. Every story I read has these things in percentages. For example, in a romance story the number could be 50-65% romance – girl meets boy or person meets person, 20-35% mystery “will they? when they? Or why would they …?” 35% thrills – they did, in various places! wow! Comfort is 15-25% is the satisfying ending character growth, progression of story, a believable end. Don’t do the math, the percentages may vary, and I suck at math. The fun is the discovery. The stories I create are for entertainment and inspiration. I never forgot what I felt reading Wild Seed by Octavia Butler. I can’t remember the first romance, I read by Rochelle Alers, I remember the feeling that a person like me had wrote a book about people like me. This was over 20 years ago. I was so amazed that we could do that. I want to pay it forward. Give someone that spark, I got when I wrote those books. I want to send my stories to that person. I even want the ones, the throw my book across a room and vow to write a better story. I’m aware that the varied percentages won’t work for everyone.
My answer might be wordy, but that is how I think of my readers. Since I’m in the rut, the goal seems so far away. I persist.
End
JC Henry Universe 