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.

15 comments:

  1. info packet....hahahaha.....funny! And I like that you "ride your own horse". Thanks for joining us.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Heck no, I'm not sharing my info packet. Do you know how much that thing is worth on the open market?

    Great answer, Michelle. I swear, you and I are cut from such similar writer's cloth. I'm so glad you're on this chain too. You always have such a great perspective.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Welcome to the chain, Michelle!!

    I agree with a lot of what you've said here. I have a MS that is esentially shelved for life (or at least until major overhaul) because I felt like it wasn't the type of book I wanted to be known for writing. But--unlike you, I didn't have a bunch of requests on it. WOOHOO! Good luck on the subs! :D

    ReplyDelete
  4. I so like that you say trends do not work for you. You make sense and you know what works for you and what you are not interested in. Nice post.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous1:52:00 PM

    Great intro, LOL!

    Nicely said--gotta write what you like!

    Welcome to the chain!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Congratulations on being invited to the chain. I enjoyed reading your post and love your take "Write for the story." Totally agree with you.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Well said! Create the new trend. And I love that you eat your own donut from the inside out. :) Great post!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Welcome to the chain! I'm still laughing at you writing something you hated just to get it out of your head. That is one of the reasons I have files full of ideas with only notes or a couple chapters. It gets it OUT and allows me to focus on something else :D Great post! ... though now I'm craving donuts for some reason ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Thanks everyone for stopping by and giving support! I was biting fingernails on how to handle this topic. Whew! It was definitely an interesting topic to get my feet wet on for the Chain Gang! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Great post and welcome to the chain!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Great post and welcome to the chain!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Great stuff, Michelle! I especially like that you eat your donut from the inside out. And your take is excellent. Writing is hard as it is. If we're not doing this for ourselves, then what's the point?

    ReplyDelete
  13. Welcome to the blog chain and great first post! Totally understand what you mean about sometimes just needing to get the story out!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Awesome first post, Michelle! Welcome to the group and I loved your take on this answer.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Wait. You eat donuts from the inside out?

    You have GOT to do a vlog. :-)

    Seriously, I think you're right about writing to fit the story. That's a really good way to put it.

    Welcome to the blog chain. Great post!

    ReplyDelete

All comments are welcome. Thanks for stopping by!