In a previous posts I’ve shared and commented on one of Robert Ringer’s three rules of writing. Here is another:
Don’t try to be all things to all people. Go after a specific market, and don’t make apologies to those who aren’t part of that market.
Ringer points out that it’s natural to want to be loved and therefore to try to appeal to everyone and offend no one. Unfortunately that results in bland writing that may not appeal to anyone.
If you have a strong viewpoint about anything you will annoy or anger some people. They will express it, especially on the internet.
I wrote this blog not too long ago about how shocked I was at the vehement reaction from one reader to what I thought was a neutral statement. Obviously it pushed some buttons for her, and maybe she felt better after venting her anger.
Her statements were mild compared to a lot of what I’ve read in the comments sections of other blogs. But maybe the old saying is true: If you’re not offending anybody, you’re not saying anything.
This is a good thing to keep in mind if you find yourself worrying, as you write, about how readers or reviewers or members of your family will react when they read it. You have to put that out of your mind and keep writing. When you’re done you can check to make sure you’ve not included anything libellous.
I have some experience with this. Not too long ago I finished writing a novel I call Vegas Bible Porn. It’s a satire and its based, very loosely, on my time in Hollywood. It’s about a producer who tries to cash in on two money-making genres of film, soft porn and Bible pictures, by combining them.
The novel is not pornographic and it doesn’t make fun of the Bible; it’s descriptive of the anything-for-money attitude that drives some people—the Vegas comes in because that’s where the producer raises the money to make his film. However, so far the title has scared off publishers.
I will hang in there with it because I think it will attract people who have an irreverent attitude, and they’re the ones who will enjoy it.
Is it a risky strategy? Probably. But, as Ringer says, when you have a strong concept you will (eventually) attract an enthusiastic, loyal group of customers. We’ll see it if works!
(You can sign up for Robert Ringer’s e-letter, A Voice of Sanity in an Insane World, at www.robertringer.com.I don't agree with his views on a lot of things, but find some of his tips useful.)
If you would like some support in writing what only you can write, join my online Writing Breakthrough Strategy program. It starts in mid-January but now is the time to join and get some great Early Bird bonuses. Find out more at http://www.WritingBreakthroughStrategy.com. )
