An Audience of One
Famous women authors—among them Toni Morrison and Beverly Cleary—are known for saying, in some form or another, “If you don’t see the book you want on the shelf, write it.”
Self-publishing gurus all seem to say, “Find your genre, find your niche, and commit to it. Give the people what they expect from you.”
But what if your niche is writing the book that isn’t on the shelf? What if the books that are in you, waiting to be written, don’t quite fit the accepted categories, or span genres? If you write historical fiction one day, and contemporary women’s fiction with a dash of action and adventure the next, are you setting yourself up for failure?
Are you consigned to write for an audience of one?
How is an indie author supposed to reconcile, at times, conflicting but well-meaning counsel from those who know best? The first, to write the book you want to read, gives your soul permission to run free. The second, to follow the rules in your chosen genre, is perhaps better for your bank account.
In the earliest stages of my writing journey, a naïf poking a toe into the vast ocean that is the art of storytelling, I assumed that people wrote what they wanted. Why wouldn’t they? But it’s not so simple, is it? There’s an element of the chase—chasing the trends, chasing what’s hot at this moment in time. Most times, that story is already on the shelf. (And, to be fair, quite possibly doing exceedingly well.) It’s what people expect.
That’s no fun.
It took me until adulthood to realize that the most vocal advocates for writing the book you don’t see on the shelf are women. As I’ve lived and grown, as I more consciously sought stories that reflect who I am (flawed and ridiculous), or who I aspire to be (less flawed, slightly less ridiculous), I found myself facing shelves packed full of books that never quite hit the mark. There was no lack of outstanding prose, universal truths, the spectrum of human emotion…but something was missing. A story that wasn’t there.
So I wrote it. And I’ll continue to write it.
I’ve learned that you can’t count on anyone but yourself to write the stories that matter to you. You can’t count on anyone but yourself to speak your truth, to present your honest view of the world. But if you’re lucky, someone may see their truth reflected in the stories you tell.
My stories are about strong, smart, funny women and the adventures they have, the families they create, and the lives they touch. My characters get into a lot of trouble, much of it their own making, and usually with the best of intentions. But somehow, they always find a way out.
That, right there, is the story I want to read. How do we get ourselves out of the messes we make? And who do we become while doing it?
Maybe I’m my audience of one. Or perhaps these are the stories that strong, smart, funny women have been waiting for.
The journey of creation will take you to surprising places. Make the best of your time in the metaphorical wilderness. Hack a path through the jungle. Summit the tallest mountains. Leave footsteps in the desert sands. Others are searching too. Maybe, just maybe, someone will follow.
