There is one moment that drives me forward. I was reading a book, and I began crying, and I said, for the first time, "I'm not alone." I want to give that moment to someone else. That's the driving thought behind my books.
That book, Washed and Waiting, by Wesley Hill, upset a lot of people. He took a nuanced approach to a difficult topic and invited hatred from both sides of a debate. He was definitely not putting the audience first. If he had, I would not have had that powerful moment.
Thank you for the reminder. We should not write for the audience, but for the reader. I'd rather have one reader walk away with a huge impact than a thousand readers who shrug and move on.
At New York Comic Con 2014 I met Kevin Conroy, the late great voice actor of "Batman: The Animated Series" fame. "Batman" was my favorite TV show growing up. I watched it every afternoon as a way to destress after coming home from school. (Middle school was not a fun experience for me. I was bullied relentlessly and the school authorities did nothing to stop it. Batman was my hero as a child - and still is - because he fought injustice against impossible odds and never gave up.) I waited in line for an hour and a half to meet Kevin and get his autograph. I rehearsed what I would say to him over and over. When my turn finally came, I opened my mouth and nothing came out! I stood there terrified and embarrassed. But Kevin smiled and waited patiently as I finally managed to stammer out how "Batman: The Animated Series" helped me survive middle school. I don't remember exactly what Kevin said next. I just remember that he came across as kind and empathetic and gentle. I will remember this experience forever. People say "don't meet your heroes" but Kevin Conroy was a class act. He treated me like I was the only fan he greeted that day (even though I was only one of thousands) and made me feel like what I had to say to him was of immense importance. I was devastated when Kevin Conroy died in 2022 but his warm smile and gentle voice (so different from his "Batman" persona) will always remain with me. Kevin was a model for how all of us artists and creatives should interact with fans.
Thank you, Dan, for these important tips, and for encouraging us to seek freedom in our true expression. I’ve been grappling with the concept of audience again lately too, thinking I need a project or a theme with my newsletter (maybe I do, not sure). But when I do (think this), I feel deflated. So I’m just going to plug along for now… with this and that. :)
Keep going! Themes sometimes come naturally over time. Likewise, I tend to talk about Key Messages, a process I’ve developed that identify themes you write about often, but not in a restrictive/confining manner. Thanks Christiana.
I struggle sometimes too with my newsletter and audience as well. I read this advice and that advice. Before you know it, I don't know what to write or how to move forward. At the end of the day, I've realized recently that what is most important for me is to write consistently and engage with people in the community.
Wonderful post Dan, thank you. I wrote a post about one of my friend's dogs, Benson, a few months before I planned to share it on Substack. Sadly Benson suddenly died before that time, and I had to decide whether to leave the draft as written or update it to the past tense. I rewrote it and checked with his owner that she was okay with it, or if she would prefer that I didn't mention passing. Given my uncertainty of how she'd feel, her outpouring of gratitude and appreciation for the tribute I'd written really touched me deeply. It struck me how much my writing and my photos were a real gift to her and her family as they grieved. And that touched my heart so much, and helped me to really value what I am offering. My little tribute to Benson is in the second half of this newsletter: https://lindsayhartley.substack.com/p/indian-plum-playtime-with-newfie
As someone who's just started writing on Substack (I've just released my second piece) I found this post encouraging and illuminating. My audience on here is small, but in the past, when I wrote for popular UK TV drama series with audiences in the millions, I used to imagine sometimes that I was writing just for my mum.
I recently wrote a "Thank You" note to the author Candace Cahill (Goodbye Again) telling her how much her story of losing her son twice to relinquishment and then his untimely death moved me and changed how I thought about birth mothers, adoption and adoptees. She wrote back thanking me for reaching out to her and said that it made her remember why sharing her story was important. It was a tender exchange. When her monthly blog post/newsletter came out she mentioned receiving a kind note from a reader and quoted my words and said it made her realize again how it was all worth it to share her story with the world.
When I was doing reading and signing events for my first book last year, at every event, readers told me stories. My memoir is about losing my mother to schizophrenia shortly after my birth and her consequent institutionalization until her death when I was 13. Mental illness is so pervasive in our society that there are few families untouched. I heard many, many stories of mothers, husbands, grandmothers, and siblings who were diagnosed with some form of mental illness and how the shame of it affected their family. One friend of my brother's came to Austin recently for a visit and told my brother before he came he wanted to talk with me about my book while he was here. He had learned after his mother's death that his grandmother suffered from mental illness, and he was heartbroken that she couldn't speak of it. He wanted to tell me his story, and I was so honored to hear it. This is why I write.
I really appreciate this piece. We do lose our perspective with all this discussion of suscribers and followers. Build your brand. Market your writing. Grow those numbers. Deepen engagement. Audience as an "it."
Thanks for the reminder.
A twist on this, Dan: When you write, how do you think of your audience?
For many, many years, I wrote to one person, a remarkable older woman who was the first woman president of a prominent college. My first experiences with her was taking care of her flowers in her home up the road. A retirement home in the country the college bought her on retirement. Back when colleges did that sort of thing. Rewarding visionary work.
She was a character. She constantly came out, looked at what I had done and invited me inside to read for a while. She taught me Flannery O'Connor, Faulkner (she was from the south), Mary Shelley. Imagine.
So I sent my early newspaper stories to her, me in Maine, she in the Berkshires. She would write back and tell me what the story made her think. Sometimes I'd just send her a long letter. Always a letter back encouraging me, telling me what she thought as she read whatever it was I sent her.
Then I started just imagining I was writing what I was writing just to her, just for her, a woman who never passed judgment, just listened, just thought, just articulated what she noticed in a way that was well received.
So sometimes when I write I think of her, imagine she is still alive poking around the flower bed reading the chapter on a hot summer day. Or I imagine that I'm writing to some other person I know, someone who listens but does not judge, someone specific, someone real.
Thanks Geoffrey! When I work with writers, we will often create an “audience persona,” which is essentially a detailed “one person” to write to. So sometimes I do that. It’s always that balance between: what exactly do I want to write, and then considering how I can give that person a meaningful “way in” to the piece.
Good points. I guess what I learned is that sometimes I need it, and sometimes I don't. The important part is to imagine a specific person as audience who is NON-judgmental, meaning that the "audience" won't get in the way of going wherever the idea takes you.
How beautiful it is to share that profound photo of the author & fan. And Sarah's story is touching.
Your words remind me of a time I read a section of my yet-unpublished-book to my writing group. The ages of members range from 30 to 80+ and on this day, a young woman sat next to me, drew in and listened most attentively. When I finished, she shook herself together and said, "I'm sweating. I'm so stressed out. I need to know what happens next." She then brushed a tear away. This reaction was so unexpected that I ended up sitting with her after the meeting ended to process. It was a unique connection.
Years ago, I was a member of a public speaking club called Toastmasters. While I was working towards becoming Certified Public Speaker within the club, I learned that to capture the attention of the audience you need to focus on one person for a few seconds.
Stare directly into the eyes of a member of the audience for a few seconds. This helps members of the audience to feel that they are being spoken to directly and it is more engaging to them. Also, it helps you to keep your composure while you speak and to focus.
I think the same thing can apply to writing for an audience. Always remember, you write for the people who make up your audience.
Once again, a really relevant and thoughtful post. Thank you! 😊
So my shares:
Reader: A few weeks ago I shared a story in a blog about when I was forced to stop teaching a book in my classroom due to an anonymous parent letter and connected the experience to the book bans happening today. I received several beautiful and kind messages and emails from teachers with similar struggles and personal thanks for my vulnerability in sharing and the work I do (then and now). It has encouraged me to be more confident in my writing and reminded me that just because someone doesn't "like" a post or hit the heart button, it doesn't mean that they aren't reading or getting something out of what I write.
Celebrity: When I was a new teacher Maya Angelou did an event in my area. But when I went to the event, rather than standing in front of an audience talking at people, she asked everyone to gather around her. Then one by one she signed books and talked with each individual person. She told me that the work I was doing as a teacher would impact lives forever, so be sure to take care of myself on that journey. My younger sister was with me, dressed in a rebellious teenager fashion. Maya looked at her in the eye and said, "You take the time you need to find your true self. But be your true self. Don't let anyone tell you what to be." Watching and listening to her engage with each person individually this way, made a tremendous impression on me.
Thanks so much for this thoughtful post, Dan. The idea of reaching thousands of readers is intoxicating, only I know that all the individual conversations I've had with readers and book lovers and other writers are the meat of what I find exciting about stories and sharing them.
A personal experience I had a long time ago was not quite connecting with the creator, but I'll share briefly anyway. I was at a very small venue where Gregg Allman was performing solo. I worked my way up to the front and when he played "Melissa", my heart filled up and I caught eyes with another listener. Instantly, we knew we both were feeling the same awe and wonder and love for the music. We just reached our hands across the people between us and held on. I think about that moment a lot. About the feeling, and about the music and performer that created that experience. Cheers!
I agree that focus on one person makes a difference. Mostly it helps my attitude and self image, because one person sees me and what I am saying. Thank you Dan for pounding this idea or😁 rather digging in with this rich idea,
There is one moment that drives me forward. I was reading a book, and I began crying, and I said, for the first time, "I'm not alone." I want to give that moment to someone else. That's the driving thought behind my books.
That book, Washed and Waiting, by Wesley Hill, upset a lot of people. He took a nuanced approach to a difficult topic and invited hatred from both sides of a debate. He was definitely not putting the audience first. If he had, I would not have had that powerful moment.
Thank you for the reminder. We should not write for the audience, but for the reader. I'd rather have one reader walk away with a huge impact than a thousand readers who shrug and move on.
Thank you Michael!!!
At New York Comic Con 2014 I met Kevin Conroy, the late great voice actor of "Batman: The Animated Series" fame. "Batman" was my favorite TV show growing up. I watched it every afternoon as a way to destress after coming home from school. (Middle school was not a fun experience for me. I was bullied relentlessly and the school authorities did nothing to stop it. Batman was my hero as a child - and still is - because he fought injustice against impossible odds and never gave up.) I waited in line for an hour and a half to meet Kevin and get his autograph. I rehearsed what I would say to him over and over. When my turn finally came, I opened my mouth and nothing came out! I stood there terrified and embarrassed. But Kevin smiled and waited patiently as I finally managed to stammer out how "Batman: The Animated Series" helped me survive middle school. I don't remember exactly what Kevin said next. I just remember that he came across as kind and empathetic and gentle. I will remember this experience forever. People say "don't meet your heroes" but Kevin Conroy was a class act. He treated me like I was the only fan he greeted that day (even though I was only one of thousands) and made me feel like what I had to say to him was of immense importance. I was devastated when Kevin Conroy died in 2022 but his warm smile and gentle voice (so different from his "Batman" persona) will always remain with me. Kevin was a model for how all of us artists and creatives should interact with fans.
Wow — what a powerful story Thomas! Love hearing this. Thank you.
Thank you, Dan, for these important tips, and for encouraging us to seek freedom in our true expression. I’ve been grappling with the concept of audience again lately too, thinking I need a project or a theme with my newsletter (maybe I do, not sure). But when I do (think this), I feel deflated. So I’m just going to plug along for now… with this and that. :)
Keep going! Themes sometimes come naturally over time. Likewise, I tend to talk about Key Messages, a process I’ve developed that identify themes you write about often, but not in a restrictive/confining manner. Thanks Christiana.
I struggle sometimes too with my newsletter and audience as well. I read this advice and that advice. Before you know it, I don't know what to write or how to move forward. At the end of the day, I've realized recently that what is most important for me is to write consistently and engage with people in the community.
Yes! Thank you Joshua.
Wonderful post Dan, thank you. I wrote a post about one of my friend's dogs, Benson, a few months before I planned to share it on Substack. Sadly Benson suddenly died before that time, and I had to decide whether to leave the draft as written or update it to the past tense. I rewrote it and checked with his owner that she was okay with it, or if she would prefer that I didn't mention passing. Given my uncertainty of how she'd feel, her outpouring of gratitude and appreciation for the tribute I'd written really touched me deeply. It struck me how much my writing and my photos were a real gift to her and her family as they grieved. And that touched my heart so much, and helped me to really value what I am offering. My little tribute to Benson is in the second half of this newsletter: https://lindsayhartley.substack.com/p/indian-plum-playtime-with-newfie
Love that. Thanks Lindsay!
As someone who's just started writing on Substack (I've just released my second piece) I found this post encouraging and illuminating. My audience on here is small, but in the past, when I wrote for popular UK TV drama series with audiences in the millions, I used to imagine sometimes that I was writing just for my mum.
How cool! Thank you Gillian!
I recently wrote a "Thank You" note to the author Candace Cahill (Goodbye Again) telling her how much her story of losing her son twice to relinquishment and then his untimely death moved me and changed how I thought about birth mothers, adoption and adoptees. She wrote back thanking me for reaching out to her and said that it made her remember why sharing her story was important. It was a tender exchange. When her monthly blog post/newsletter came out she mentioned receiving a kind note from a reader and quoted my words and said it made her realize again how it was all worth it to share her story with the world.
Love hearing that! Thank you Doreen.
When I was doing reading and signing events for my first book last year, at every event, readers told me stories. My memoir is about losing my mother to schizophrenia shortly after my birth and her consequent institutionalization until her death when I was 13. Mental illness is so pervasive in our society that there are few families untouched. I heard many, many stories of mothers, husbands, grandmothers, and siblings who were diagnosed with some form of mental illness and how the shame of it affected their family. One friend of my brother's came to Austin recently for a visit and told my brother before he came he wanted to talk with me about my book while he was here. He had learned after his mother's death that his grandmother suffered from mental illness, and he was heartbroken that she couldn't speak of it. He wanted to tell me his story, and I was so honored to hear it. This is why I write.
Wow — incredible to hear how your story allowed so many others to see and share their own! Thank you Janice.
I really appreciate this piece. We do lose our perspective with all this discussion of suscribers and followers. Build your brand. Market your writing. Grow those numbers. Deepen engagement. Audience as an "it."
Thanks for the reminder.
A twist on this, Dan: When you write, how do you think of your audience?
For many, many years, I wrote to one person, a remarkable older woman who was the first woman president of a prominent college. My first experiences with her was taking care of her flowers in her home up the road. A retirement home in the country the college bought her on retirement. Back when colleges did that sort of thing. Rewarding visionary work.
She was a character. She constantly came out, looked at what I had done and invited me inside to read for a while. She taught me Flannery O'Connor, Faulkner (she was from the south), Mary Shelley. Imagine.
So I sent my early newspaper stories to her, me in Maine, she in the Berkshires. She would write back and tell me what the story made her think. Sometimes I'd just send her a long letter. Always a letter back encouraging me, telling me what she thought as she read whatever it was I sent her.
Then I started just imagining I was writing what I was writing just to her, just for her, a woman who never passed judgment, just listened, just thought, just articulated what she noticed in a way that was well received.
So sometimes when I write I think of her, imagine she is still alive poking around the flower bed reading the chapter on a hot summer day. Or I imagine that I'm writing to some other person I know, someone who listens but does not judge, someone specific, someone real.
Thanks Geoffrey! When I work with writers, we will often create an “audience persona,” which is essentially a detailed “one person” to write to. So sometimes I do that. It’s always that balance between: what exactly do I want to write, and then considering how I can give that person a meaningful “way in” to the piece.
Good points. I guess what I learned is that sometimes I need it, and sometimes I don't. The important part is to imagine a specific person as audience who is NON-judgmental, meaning that the "audience" won't get in the way of going wherever the idea takes you.
But thanks for responding.
Be well. And keep on writiin'
Thank you Geoffrey!
How beautiful it is to share that profound photo of the author & fan. And Sarah's story is touching.
Your words remind me of a time I read a section of my yet-unpublished-book to my writing group. The ages of members range from 30 to 80+ and on this day, a young woman sat next to me, drew in and listened most attentively. When I finished, she shook herself together and said, "I'm sweating. I'm so stressed out. I need to know what happens next." She then brushed a tear away. This reaction was so unexpected that I ended up sitting with her after the meeting ended to process. It was a unique connection.
Wow!!! Thanks Shell.
Yes!!!!! This is why I write…https://open.substack.com/pub/hennybird/p/why-i-write?r=9bseo&utm_medium=ios
Thank you Henriette!
So good, Dan! So important to value the relationships…
Thanks Kathy!
Years ago, I was a member of a public speaking club called Toastmasters. While I was working towards becoming Certified Public Speaker within the club, I learned that to capture the attention of the audience you need to focus on one person for a few seconds.
Stare directly into the eyes of a member of the audience for a few seconds. This helps members of the audience to feel that they are being spoken to directly and it is more engaging to them. Also, it helps you to keep your composure while you speak and to focus.
I think the same thing can apply to writing for an audience. Always remember, you write for the people who make up your audience.
Great advice, thanks Joshua!
Dan,
Once again, a really relevant and thoughtful post. Thank you! 😊
So my shares:
Reader: A few weeks ago I shared a story in a blog about when I was forced to stop teaching a book in my classroom due to an anonymous parent letter and connected the experience to the book bans happening today. I received several beautiful and kind messages and emails from teachers with similar struggles and personal thanks for my vulnerability in sharing and the work I do (then and now). It has encouraged me to be more confident in my writing and reminded me that just because someone doesn't "like" a post or hit the heart button, it doesn't mean that they aren't reading or getting something out of what I write.
Celebrity: When I was a new teacher Maya Angelou did an event in my area. But when I went to the event, rather than standing in front of an audience talking at people, she asked everyone to gather around her. Then one by one she signed books and talked with each individual person. She told me that the work I was doing as a teacher would impact lives forever, so be sure to take care of myself on that journey. My younger sister was with me, dressed in a rebellious teenager fashion. Maya looked at her in the eye and said, "You take the time you need to find your true self. But be your true self. Don't let anyone tell you what to be." Watching and listening to her engage with each person individually this way, made a tremendous impression on me.
WOW! Incredible stories. Thank you Angie!
Thanks so much for this thoughtful post, Dan. The idea of reaching thousands of readers is intoxicating, only I know that all the individual conversations I've had with readers and book lovers and other writers are the meat of what I find exciting about stories and sharing them.
A personal experience I had a long time ago was not quite connecting with the creator, but I'll share briefly anyway. I was at a very small venue where Gregg Allman was performing solo. I worked my way up to the front and when he played "Melissa", my heart filled up and I caught eyes with another listener. Instantly, we knew we both were feeling the same awe and wonder and love for the music. We just reached our hands across the people between us and held on. I think about that moment a lot. About the feeling, and about the music and performer that created that experience. Cheers!
Thank you Mima!
I really like this. It pops my bubble of anxiety and I have seen it work as I forget about me and focus on my reader.
Thank you so much Tamara!
I agree that focus on one person makes a difference. Mostly it helps my attitude and self image, because one person sees me and what I am saying. Thank you Dan for pounding this idea or😁 rather digging in with this rich idea,
Yes! Thanks Mary Beth.