March 11, 2015

Who Is My Audience? - WN 007

32 minutes

Help support this podcast! >>

Welcome to episode seven of the "Write Now" podcast. This episode is kind of a two-for-one special, in which I talk not only about finding and writing to your audience, but how to deal with that irritating little perfectionist who lives in your brain and doesn't want you to finish anything. Ever.

Should I be writing for myself? My audience? Help!

You want people to read and like (and buy!) your novel/book/etc. A great way to do that is to write stuff that people want to read. But who are those people, and how do you engage them?

Should you focus on engaging everyone on the planet, a mid-sized audience, or one single person? Or should you simply write for yourself and hope that others share your interests?

So many questions. But I have answers! You'll find them by listening to this week's "Write Now" podcast.

Spoiler alert: My advice is to write for yourself, and edit for an audience of one person you respect and who encourages you.

For me, that person is Walt Wangerin, Jr., one of my favorite professors from Valparaiso University and winner of the 1978 National Book Award for The Book of the Dun Cow. This is he:

Remember, at the end of the day, done is better than perfect. Squash that little perfectionist who lives in your brain. I'll help you.

Book of the week!

I enjoyed a lovely re-read of one of my favorite poetry anthologies this week, Staying Alive: Real Poems for Unreal Times, edited by Neil Astley. It's an amazing compilation, and I can't stress enough how much you should pick up a copy for yourself, and potentially all of your friends and family and the strangers you bump into on the street.

I also talk about "Wild Geese", my favorite Mary Oliver poem which also appears in this anthology. I debated whether or not it would be legal for me to read it out loud to you on the air, and erred on the side of caution. BUT! You can hear Mary Oliver herself read this short, lovely, & inspiring piece herself, courtesy of Maria Popova from Brain Pickings. And please do.

Get inspired and keep up-to-date with my reading exploits on Goodreads.

Get fun, random emails from me!

I'll send you emails when I feel like it. Don't worry, I promise not to send you spam or do anything evil with your email address. I respect your privacy and I like you as a person. Sign up to get email updates from me. >>

Submit a question.

I like answering questions, and I didn't have one this week! So visit my contact page and type out your thoughts. You can also email me at hello [at] sarahwerner [dot] com.

Listen to the full podcast.

You can listen to the full podcast using the controls at the beginning of this post. Or find it on iTunes! >> (And subscribe!)

Tell me your thoughts.

Whom do you write for? Yourself? Someone special or important in your life? Let me know in the comments!

Like what you've heard?

I'm on Patreon! It's a great platform that helps folks who appreciate the arts to support content creators like myself.

I'm trying to do this without sounding like a sales-y jerk. So if you find value or inspiration in the information I share, please consider becoming a contributor on Patreon. :)

Your generosity will go a long way in helping me continue to produce fun, interesting, and useful content on a regular basis. Thank you!

Help support this podcast! >>

The post Who Is My Audience & How Do I Write For Them? – WN 007 appeared first on The Write Now Podcast with Sarah Werner.

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By Sarah Rhea Werner

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March 11, 2015

Who Is My Audience? - WN 007

32 minutes

Help support this podcast! >>

Should I be writing for myself? My audience? Help!

You want people to read and like (and buy!) your novel/book/etc. A great way to do that is to write stuff that people want to read. But who are those people, and how do you engage them?

Should you focus on engaging everyone on the planet, a mid-sized audience, or one single person? Or should you simply write for yourself and hope that others share your interests?

So many questions. But I have answers! You'll find them by listening to this week's "Write Now" podcast.

Spoiler alert: My advice is to write for yourself, and edit for an audience of one person you respect and who encourages you.

For me, that person is Walt Wangerin, Jr., one of my favorite professors from Valparaiso University and winner of the 1978 National Book Award for The Book of the Dun Cow. This is he:

Remember, at the end of the day, done is better than perfect. Squash that little perfectionist who lives in your brain. I'll help you.

Book of the week!

Get inspired and keep up-to-date with my reading exploits on Goodreads.

Get fun, random emails from me!

Submit a question.

I like answering questions, and I didn't have one this week! So visit my contact page and type out your thoughts. You can also email me at hello [at] sarahwerner [dot] com.

Listen to the full podcast.

You can listen to the full podcast using the controls at the beginning of this post. Or find it on iTunes! >> (And subscribe!)

Tell me your thoughts.

Whom do you write for? Yourself? Someone special or important in your life? Let me know in the comments!

Like what you've heard?

I'm on Patreon! It's a great platform that helps folks who appreciate the arts to support content creators like myself.

I'm trying to do this without sounding like a sales-y jerk. So if you find value or inspiration in the information I share, please consider becoming a contributor on Patreon. :)

Your generosity will go a long way in helping me continue to produce fun, interesting, and useful content on a regular basis. Thank you!

Help support this podcast! >>

The post Who Is My Audience & How Do I Write For Them? – WN 007 appeared first on The Write Now Podcast with Sarah Werner.

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