Blog Chain - Who do you write for?

Recently, I received an invitation to join the Blog Chain . . .

Why, Michelle! What, pray tell, is a Blog Chain?

I’m so glad you asked, fake audience I’m using to move this post topic along. The Blog Chain is where a bunch of writerly people get together asking questions, sharing in the knowledgeable fun, and learning about ourselves and the stories we write. At least, that's what it says in the information packet.

Can WE have an information packet?

No! It’s mine, you imaginary moochers!

Anyway, Michelle McLean was the starter of this current chain (make sure you stop by her site to follow the chain). The question posed was this:

Do you write for the market or for yourself? Why? Are there times you do both? Or times when you've written something specifically because it was "hot" at the moment? If so, how did it turn out?

I write for the story, if that counts as writing for me. There’s no real “why” to it. I could claim it’s for the love of the story. Yet I’ve written pieces I absolutely hated just to get the darn plot out of my head. Right now, I have a finished manuscript that I loathe to get back to revising on. Yet I know I have a real chance of getting an agent for it since I’ve gotten partial and full requests without representation offers: 6 so far. Unfortunately, I’m not sure I want to be seen as an established author with this novel. I don’t want to be fit into a predetermined category that might not sit well with me in the future, especially when it comes to writing the second and third books.

Sigh . . .

But with this being said, I don’t write for any market trend. Trends don’t work for me. The time frame in which some trends last can be unpredictable. Something could go on for a few years, or fizzle out in the first two weeks. I can’t write fast enough. The best I can do is three months. Even then, I would still need to get agent representation and an editor willing to take a risk on my novel - a long and arduous process. If by chance things were sped up on the publishing end, I would still be going up against other novels seeking to fit in the current trendy niche.

I ride my own horse. I walk my own path. I eat my own donut from the inside out. I have to be myself and not seen as a knock-off of the person who started the trend. To be pegged as, “in the writing styles of Stephanie Meyer or Stephen King,” isn’t something I would look forward to penning on my resume.

I want to challenge myself in creating the new trend. Perhaps that is the best answer I have for the question. I write for the story so it can be seen as its own entity, its own worthwhile accomplishment. And, in doing so, I can love it the way it deserves to be loved without any restrictions of needing to be fit into a trend.

Okay, now that I’ve totally confused everyone reading this, go visit more knowledgeable people such as Eric who wrote about this topic and don't forget to stop by Kat's blog tomorrow to find out how she feels about this.

Perhaps they will even share their Blog Chain information packets.