A writer of books once asked, “Teacher, what must I do to sell my work?”
“What do the self-help books say?” the Teacher asked. “How do you interpret them?”
“Thou shalt love what you write with heart and soul, and thou shalt keep thy audience in mind as you write,” he answered.
“You have spoken well,” said the Teacher. “Do this and you will sell.”
But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked, “And who is my audience?”
“Who do I look like, Jesus?” said the Teacher. “I can’t tell you who to write for. Only you can know that.”
It’s a question worth asking, though. Who is my audience? Honestly, it’s a question I don’t think about that often. When I write a story, it’s because it’s a story I care about, a story I would enjoy reading. In a sense, I write for myself and hope there’s enough people who share my interests to make the book worth publishing or the play worth performing. Am I writing for children, teens, or adults? Men or women? Christian market or secular market? These are aspects I almost never take into consideration; I simply write and let the finished work attract those it may.
Still, I can’t just reject the idea of an audience outright. To do so would be to ignore any semblance of accountability. I have a responsibility to my readers to build them up through my writing and not to tear them down. It’s the reason I’ve chosen never to make my characters swear or engage in on-page sex, for example. I do my best to make my writing match up with my morals for the betterment of (or at least the lack of damage to) my audience. Knowing that certain people, such as friends, family members, and younger children, will be reading my work helps me keep in line. Most importantly, I have to ask myself if what I’m writing is pleasing to my Audience of One. If I can say without a doubt that He would enjoy reading my work, I know I’ve done a good job.
So whom do I write for? I write for me. I write for others. I write for everyone. I write for no one. I write for dreamers and for lovers of fantasy and for those who are never quite satisfied with the world as it is. I write for a human audience. I write for a divine audience. I write for writing’s sake. I write for reading’s sake. I write. And in the end, I guess that’s all that matters.
