On WordPress, I continue to be amazed by the collection of talent. Sometimes an author’s writing floors me with its power, cleverness, raw emotion or beautiful use of language.
I am none of those things. I am a nerd who can correctly string together a series of words. As a writer–as a word artist–I am average.
How then do I expect to compete in the commercial marketplace? The same way an average employee competes in the workplace. By showing up. By giving my best effort. And like a tidal wave, by sheer volume. A dose of self-promotion is important, too. If I don’t market, I won’t sell. (Please don’t stop reading here. The best of this post is yet to come.)
I’ve said this before and I will say it again: throw enough at a wall and something will stick.
Part of succeeding as an average writer is finding my audience. I do that by writing in all the ways that appeal to me–short stories, haiku, flash fiction and novels. (In 2013, I hope to add internet content to the list.) Then I analyze. Of those things I like to write, what are people reading?
I need to look at my statistics. What do statistics tell me about what readers like in my work? Is it my true confessions? Is it self-improvement or how-to articles? Pop culture? Or factual pieces? Humorous stories? The off-the-wall?
Success is finding the match of my abilities with a need in the marketplace.
Ask the reader.
So I am asking you right now. What do you like best about this blog? Why do you stop by? Is there something which you’d like to see more often? Any answer is a helpful one. Silence hurts. So tell me something, anything, that will make this blog a better experience for you. Even if it is what you don’t like. Say, “Fay, dump this. Keep that.” Bring it on. Help me get better.
For me, that’s what it is all about. The best part is serving, helping, pleasing you, the reader.
The next best part is getting good enough to earn a paycheck! But that’s another post for another day. 🙂
Fay Moore: I Want To Be a Writer 
I love all your tips and helpful posts – even if they’re not about writing. You can always branch out into other writing mediums – poetry and whatnot. I loathe writing poetry, so that’s why I started “My Crappy Poetry” on my blog. It’s just a haiku I post every now and then – nothing terribly poetic, but certainly fun. More like an exercise. Try something new. Be daring! 😉
Thank you so much for your thoughts. I like writing haiku–and the 55-word shorties–for the brevity and the mental exercise to get it said succinctly! That’s about the only place I am succinct. 🙂
I am thinking about starting a couple of other blogs on favorite facets of the world, like vegetable gardening, trail riding on horseback, and antique hunting. Oh, and off-the-wall thoughts. That will let me hop around without knotting up the writing blog with tangents. I’ll let you know when and if I do.
I don’t know what readers want or don’t want, but I know why I keep coming back on your blog. It’s because of you, my dear! Sounds too simple you say?
Maybe, maybe not. Let me explain: Every writer no matter what he writes can be found in his words, his personality is just in there between the lines. Every reader gets that instantly, no matter if they are fully aware of it or not.
It’s like in life when you first meet a person – you know instantly if you like that person or not.
Therefore I must say it’s really all about authenticity, as long as you love what you do/write, I enjoy reading it; the subject itself is secondary.
That’s what makes blogs enjoyable in the first place, a blogger who has fun writing his blog leads to people having fun reading it.
I adore you–and I am so tickled to know you are out there! Thank you for your thoughts.
Thanks, what a lovely thing to say! 🙂
First off, I feel your more talented than you give yourself credit for. Secondly, I love the sense of earnesty in your writing, and of course you know, I love your song prompts (miss not seeing any recently)!
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your feedback. It helps.