Should you write to your audience?

Should you write what pleases you or should you write to your audience? The answer to that may draw the line between commercial success and not. Criticisms for and against either path abound.

Writing to your audience means following the formula and tropes readers of your genre expect. Every fiction genre has them. The author need not include each and every trope within his or her story, but should follow well-worn, plotted paths with, perhaps, a few scenic detours for interest and originality. Those scenic detours with the occasional surprise character tossed into the cast make the story unique and put the author's spin on what's otherwise familiar.

I'd go so far as to say that even nonfiction genres have common formulae and tropes, motivational and inspirational nonfiction especially. They speak to some sort of personal trauma or hardship which the author overcomes to become successful in his or her chosen profession. Some writers may draw insight from their struggles and achievements and attempt to impart those golden nuggets to readers. Some insights may concern moral attributes, others align with professional how-to instructions.

There's a reason formulaic plots are common: readers like them. There's comfort in familiarity, in knowing that the characters in whom we invest our time and emotions will find their bliss. That familiarity makes us feel in control. We know the desired outcome and the journey may take us on a few unanticipated detours, but destination arrives as expected. Villains get their comeuppance, heroes get their happily-ever-afters, and secondary characters look ahead to their 15 minutes of literary fame.

The bifold issue with writing to your audience is: 1) a risk that the story is written by committee; 2) a risk that the author's work appears derivative and/or tired. Writing by committee dooms an author's work to mediocrity and blandness. The story loses the author's distinct voice. The feeling of copycat content draws accusations of plagiarism and the disappointment of a lack of originality. How many times can the same fairy tale or joke be told before the story loses its enchantment or before the punchline is no longer funny?

The path less trodden carries greater risk. The authors risks the story's appeal to readers. A story that violates genre expectations or simply doesn't conform to common expectations may be a great story, but it appeals to a much smaller audience more tolerant of deviation. Such stories are more difficult to market and categorize, a necessity for online publication and SEO. The riskier option may also help the author span genres and acquire readers to whom his or her works wouldn't otherwise appeal. It's a gamble with no sure outcome.

Somewhere in the discussion is a happy medium, the author who can write to his or her audience without losing his or her voice. That's what writers--fiction writers especially--strive to do. Fiction writers need to meet the expectations of their genre's readers while introducing sufficient originality to refresh and expand upon familiar tropes. Pair that with good writing that engages the reader and you've got the key to commercial success.

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