This is such a clear articulation of something people flatten too often, audience-awareness isn’t the enemy of art, it’s how art survives its moment.
I especially loved the framing of rules as expectation-management rather than commandments. That’s exactly where mastery lives.
Shakespeare wrote with his audience. Modern writers write against distraction. I agree with you here. Shakespeare isn’t timeless because he ignored audience expectations; he’s timeless because he understood them. He’s often used as an example of “rule-breaking,” but he was deeply attuned to his audience and medium— one of the clearest examples of rules mastery in action.
Good reminder that we have to ask the right questions to find the right answers. If we write to an audience, we better connect with those readers. Very different from experimenting around with language to see what happens. Personally, I write the stories I want to read, keeping in mind that I want to share these with others.
I feel like this is the best approach! It's vital that we write because stories are important to us, but I feel like finding that point of overlap with what our audience wants can make our writing even stronger
Thank you for sharing this. As you know, I do a great deal of developmental editing myself. One of the worst things is when I see someone I could turn into a good writer, but they are hung up on pride. I don’t get joy out of telling people what needs correcting. It’s not a judgement based on opinion. It’s based on the rules that we all have to use.
So true! I'm very lucky that most of the folks I end up working with are genuinely committed to improving their writing and prepared for that to be uncomfortable, even painful. But I've definitely had a few clients where we've met for follow-up and...it's become obvious they're not interested in a single word I have to say. Makes me genuinely wonder why they paid me in the first place shrug🤷♂️
Agreed. Those who answer my ads, or email me after hearing from a friend, they are usually good.
Recently, I’ve had the chance to get onboard with businesses that talk about starting a magazine, or creating new blog software…. And there are just errors everywhere.
One like this, he sent out his monthly update. It was my first time receiving one. Errors everywhere. So, I wrote him separately, offered to give him some tips. I said, “if you want to work in publishing in any way, you need to make sure you don’t have careless mistakes.
The next day, there was a reply. It said that he thought the newsletter was fine.
Fine.
I quit. A month later, they stopped the project.
Trying to make money in writing means you need to LOVE English. If you don’t love it, please, put the pen down. If you do, be ready for criticism.
There will always be a proofreader. There will always be an editor.
These are the people who try to make us better.
It’s in everyone’s best interest if everyone is putting in the work at a similar level.
Oh. And the “Shakespeare!” Thing. Come on. No one get to sit on the level of people who carved our language from rock the first time they sit at a keyboard.
This is absolutely on point. Wish I'd had this piece back when I taught creative writing! The tension between writing for yourself and writing for an audience can really derail new writers sometimes -- in the first flush of creativity, they chafe at the notion of cramming those wondrous first words into the straight jacket of "rules." As you say, a lot of the conventions of writing from times past just don't apply today -- but there are new conventions that do. If writing is a conversation between writer and reader, they need to be speaking the same language.
And I really like your points re show/tell. It’s all about nuances. I sometimes meet (usually new) writers who think telling is unambiguously bad, but it can be employed to such great effect imo. My unreliable narrators often get their own, special version (“They were not angry. Not at all! Why would they be?”).
Also, since you mentioned Tess, I remember when we read it during my first year at uni. Several people had no idea how a certain character got pregnant. In a text that was very obvious about it for its time. Times do change.
So, a long time ago, I published a graphic novel. Because the protagonist was made out of bubblegum, I thought it would be cute to make the whole cover solid pink and just have the front page a giant winkie-face. After all, didn't the Beatles essentially do the same thing with the White Album? Sure. But they EARNED that. And I didn't. I sold 1 copy. Lesson learned. Next time, draw a cover that catches the eye and looks like it belongs.
If you are going to start a flam war for my personal entertainment you have to try harder, than this!
I think the drama you run into is that we call them writing rules vs writing guidelines. Rules are something that must be followed exactly every time. Guidelines are loose.
Each "rule" exists for a reason, but as you point out there's more than one way to resolve the issue. I think the most important thing about a rule is to understand why it exists.
As for me, I break a lot of rules. For instance, I've never met a fragment I didn't like. I also intentionally build "twists" into my structure. So the first 1 - 2 thirds of my story often forecasts an entirely different story then the one I'm telling. I intentionally break expectations and use them to manipulate people.
That is going to turn off a lot of readers. If I do this knowing the cause, there is no issues. If I were depending on my writing to eat next week this would be a terrible approached.
I feel like we have discussed this before, that there are different styles of writing and it’s more about expectations and conventions than forever-rules. I think you make a great point and I even have found that I have less tolerance for certain kinds of books than I did when I was young, now that my reading time has shrunk.
I definitely find the same thing! I'm far quicker to abandon a book now if it's not working for me, and I feel like a lot of folks are the same
Like you say, it's about knowing what we want to achieve, understanding our audience (if we have/want one) and setting/fulfilling expectations accordingly!
This is such an important layer of nuance we miss sometimes:
> All storytelling is a conversation with a specific audience, during a particular period in time, using shared language, expectations, and a shared understanding of the world.
Like when I was reading Agatha Christie recently, my brain kept going omg that's a pacing issue, this could've been done slightly better, to the point where I wanted to get a pencil and write my edits in the margins. When that urge got too strong I had to put the book away for a while and remind myself of this sentence u just wrote so eloquently. And guess what? After I got my head outta my modern ass I actually loved the book lol
To answer the questions above, I guess I started writing because the characters won’t leave me alone until I tell their story. That said, I do care about quality. It’s why I appreciate an article like this.
One thing that I noticed lately. Word is pinging me constantly about my passive voice. I probably should work on that.
This was put in better words than i have been able to articulate over time. Writing for an audience and writing for yourself are two equally valid decisions, but your approach and expectations needs to be tempered depending on which. And you need to be honest with yourself.
I stopped asking people who they are writing for. I started asking people who they are sharing it with. Because if they truly write just for themselves, why share it at all?
This is such a clear articulation of something people flatten too often, audience-awareness isn’t the enemy of art, it’s how art survives its moment.
I especially loved the framing of rules as expectation-management rather than commandments. That’s exactly where mastery lives.
Shakespeare wrote with his audience. Modern writers write against distraction. I agree with you here. Shakespeare isn’t timeless because he ignored audience expectations; he’s timeless because he understood them. He’s often used as an example of “rule-breaking,” but he was deeply attuned to his audience and medium— one of the clearest examples of rules mastery in action.
I have nothing useful or insightful to add to this, besides saying that I agree with every word
Thanks so much for your insights, and for getting me thinking about this in the first place!
Good reminder that we have to ask the right questions to find the right answers. If we write to an audience, we better connect with those readers. Very different from experimenting around with language to see what happens. Personally, I write the stories I want to read, keeping in mind that I want to share these with others.
I feel like this is the best approach! It's vital that we write because stories are important to us, but I feel like finding that point of overlap with what our audience wants can make our writing even stronger
Thank you for sharing this. As you know, I do a great deal of developmental editing myself. One of the worst things is when I see someone I could turn into a good writer, but they are hung up on pride. I don’t get joy out of telling people what needs correcting. It’s not a judgement based on opinion. It’s based on the rules that we all have to use.
So true! I'm very lucky that most of the folks I end up working with are genuinely committed to improving their writing and prepared for that to be uncomfortable, even painful. But I've definitely had a few clients where we've met for follow-up and...it's become obvious they're not interested in a single word I have to say. Makes me genuinely wonder why they paid me in the first place shrug🤷♂️
Agreed. Those who answer my ads, or email me after hearing from a friend, they are usually good.
Recently, I’ve had the chance to get onboard with businesses that talk about starting a magazine, or creating new blog software…. And there are just errors everywhere.
One like this, he sent out his monthly update. It was my first time receiving one. Errors everywhere. So, I wrote him separately, offered to give him some tips. I said, “if you want to work in publishing in any way, you need to make sure you don’t have careless mistakes.
The next day, there was a reply. It said that he thought the newsletter was fine.
Fine.
I quit. A month later, they stopped the project.
Trying to make money in writing means you need to LOVE English. If you don’t love it, please, put the pen down. If you do, be ready for criticism.
There will always be a proofreader. There will always be an editor.
These are the people who try to make us better.
It’s in everyone’s best interest if everyone is putting in the work at a similar level.
Oh. And the “Shakespeare!” Thing. Come on. No one get to sit on the level of people who carved our language from rock the first time they sit at a keyboard.
This is absolutely on point. Wish I'd had this piece back when I taught creative writing! The tension between writing for yourself and writing for an audience can really derail new writers sometimes -- in the first flush of creativity, they chafe at the notion of cramming those wondrous first words into the straight jacket of "rules." As you say, a lot of the conventions of writing from times past just don't apply today -- but there are new conventions that do. If writing is a conversation between writer and reader, they need to be speaking the same language.
"They need to be speaking the same language" is such a perfect way of putting it!
Thanks for articulating it so beautifully!
Thank you for this! I agree across the board.
And I really like your points re show/tell. It’s all about nuances. I sometimes meet (usually new) writers who think telling is unambiguously bad, but it can be employed to such great effect imo. My unreliable narrators often get their own, special version (“They were not angry. Not at all! Why would they be?”).
Also, since you mentioned Tess, I remember when we read it during my first year at uni. Several people had no idea how a certain character got pregnant. In a text that was very obvious about it for its time. Times do change.
Nailed it! And you're right, telling us a necessary and often powerful thing, especially if it's part of a character's voice like you say
I wish I heard more of this in both my literature classes and creative writing classes.
So, a long time ago, I published a graphic novel. Because the protagonist was made out of bubblegum, I thought it would be cute to make the whole cover solid pink and just have the front page a giant winkie-face. After all, didn't the Beatles essentially do the same thing with the White Album? Sure. But they EARNED that. And I didn't. I sold 1 copy. Lesson learned. Next time, draw a cover that catches the eye and looks like it belongs.
If you are going to start a flam war for my personal entertainment you have to try harder, than this!
I think the drama you run into is that we call them writing rules vs writing guidelines. Rules are something that must be followed exactly every time. Guidelines are loose.
Each "rule" exists for a reason, but as you point out there's more than one way to resolve the issue. I think the most important thing about a rule is to understand why it exists.
As for me, I break a lot of rules. For instance, I've never met a fragment I didn't like. I also intentionally build "twists" into my structure. So the first 1 - 2 thirds of my story often forecasts an entirely different story then the one I'm telling. I intentionally break expectations and use them to manipulate people.
That is going to turn off a lot of readers. If I do this knowing the cause, there is no issues. If I were depending on my writing to eat next week this would be a terrible approached.
I agree with you on rules vs guidelines, although of course people often say one when they mean the other
Also, I'm with you on Team Sentence Fragment!
Yes! Objects and Subjects are for losers!!
I feel like we have discussed this before, that there are different styles of writing and it’s more about expectations and conventions than forever-rules. I think you make a great point and I even have found that I have less tolerance for certain kinds of books than I did when I was young, now that my reading time has shrunk.
I definitely find the same thing! I'm far quicker to abandon a book now if it's not working for me, and I feel like a lot of folks are the same
Like you say, it's about knowing what we want to achieve, understanding our audience (if we have/want one) and setting/fulfilling expectations accordingly!
This is such an important layer of nuance we miss sometimes:
> All storytelling is a conversation with a specific audience, during a particular period in time, using shared language, expectations, and a shared understanding of the world.
Like when I was reading Agatha Christie recently, my brain kept going omg that's a pacing issue, this could've been done slightly better, to the point where I wanted to get a pencil and write my edits in the margins. When that urge got too strong I had to put the book away for a while and remind myself of this sentence u just wrote so eloquently. And guess what? After I got my head outta my modern ass I actually loved the book lol
To answer the questions above, I guess I started writing because the characters won’t leave me alone until I tell their story. That said, I do care about quality. It’s why I appreciate an article like this.
One thing that I noticed lately. Word is pinging me constantly about my passive voice. I probably should work on that.
A great way to notice passive voice is to see if the words "by zombies" can be added in with everything still making sense
Obviously not a full technical breakdown, but a fun way of making yourself more aware of it!
This was put in better words than i have been able to articulate over time. Writing for an audience and writing for yourself are two equally valid decisions, but your approach and expectations needs to be tempered depending on which. And you need to be honest with yourself.
I stopped asking people who they are writing for. I started asking people who they are sharing it with. Because if they truly write just for themselves, why share it at all?
This slaps harder than a Flemish madrigal. Literally rushing to my linotype to bash out a dozen copies!
Seriously tho, really great points. Especially the bit about who you're writing for and why. It's so easy to lose sight of that.