Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic

Do you write for yourself or do you write to create some kind of message for others?

I remember at a JRW Writing Show one of the audience members seemed a bit upset that people didn’t seem to take away from the story what she intended them to.

It was along the lines of it was her story and they were supposed to get from it what she wrote.

But can we ever Really do that?

We are all individuals with individual experiences. Even those that grow up in the same household can have entirely different experiences. [Believe me I know!]

I think it’s because we all are such unique individuals. We are living a common thread here but each seeing it the way we are, where we come from, and way we choose. Which also influences us- the choices we make. And if you’ve read any of my blog at all – although may be in the blogspot one not the livejournal one since the blogspot is the one I started first and has more entries – one of my favorite movie phrases [uh, I have quite a few different ones, just so you know] is one from ‘Under The Tuscan Sun’ - the movie Not the book, don’t even get me sidetracked there! – the main character begins to take on her life, feel at home in it. She says something about ‘any little turning along the way and she’d be different, she’d be elsewhere.’ That’s true of us all isn’t it? And our perceptions of things we see, think, and, of course, read. So how can we see, think, and feel the same things? I’m not sure we even should. How can you help someone else if you are mired in the same feelings exactly the way they are? I think we can, and should have empathy. Empathy, not sympathy. Those are two different things.

As long as you buy and read my books I don’t know that I’ll really care what you take away from them.

Okay so really as long as you buy them. Let’s get real here. [uh, this is where the arithmetic part of the title comes in. Just so you know.]

Yeah, so every writer wants people to read and Really like their books. But, maybe because I’m still working on the writing parts, in my mind right now I think I’d be willing to settle for you just buying them. I think. Right now anyway.

And as long as you don’t do weird stuff like stalk me or anything. Ok? Promise?

So as a writer do you think of your reader at all?

As a reader do you think about how the writer intended their writing?