I’ve never been a fan of workshops because in my mind they homogenize writing and force it to fit a lowest common denominator in terms of variety. I’m a fiction writer, and I have very strong feelings about the idea that prose should be divided into neat little categories like Drama or Humor. Usually the only people who complain about my “mishmash” approach are other, more traditionally grounded writers. Readers by and large aren’t thrown by it at all. Why would they be? Life isn’t neat.

And anyone outside my intended audience can suck it, quite frankly.

Right on.

I usually tell people that my target audience is “people who want to read what I want to write.” The glory of the internet is that it lets your audience find you, whatever that audience is. It lets everybody else find you, too, so you’ll have “I don’t get it.” people… or worse, people who think they get it and you don’t. They think they see a problem with what I’ve written. I tell them, “There’s no problem. You’re just not part of my target audience.”

I agree with everything you said about writing. It is so true that we write to be loved. This is why so many writers are insecure narcissists. And why I can never manage to date one successfully.

Hilary! Don’t forget about the German industrial-goth transvestites. Oh gosh, I still miss you.

But I’m also a history writer and professor. My first (little) book, based on my dissertation, helped me fall in love with writing. There’s now a big book waiting in me waiting to get out. I’d now like to know how to win a Pulitzer Prize.

*I’m not a corny type of you inspire me person, but honestly I mean it.

And I find myself laughing the hardest following a slew of cursing – your rage is righteous. :o)

Now if I could just figure out who my blog’s imaginary audience was supposed to be maybe it’d have fewer personalities.

Happy holidays everyone!