On Changing Lives

As writers, we want our work to resonate with readers. We hope our stories will change someone's life in some small way. 

But when we think of writers both current and past, there is often THAT WORK--the one they are known for. We sometimes forget about their other works, and not necessarily because they aren't up to the same literary standard.

When we think of George Orwell, for instance, we imagine Animal Farm or Nineteen Eighty-Four.

But there was also Burmese Days and A Clergyman's Daughter and Coming up for Air.

When I think of Orwell, my mind heads straight to one of his personal essays: "Shooting an Elephant."

As writers, we should want to tell a story that changes the reader. This is something we should, in fact, strive for. It's a lofty and ambitious (and worthy) goal. 

But not every work will resonate with readers in the same way and to the same degree.

In these instances, it's enough having written the work at all, whether it eclipses your previous (or latter) efforts or languishes in the background.

It's enough (and so are you).

Be Brilliant!

~Katie~ 

A Mismatch of Expectations

The following gem of an idea recently arrived in my inbox. I tried to think of a way to paraphrase, but it's so much better in Seth Godin's own words, and, if you're a creator of anything, I feel like you'll find this idea of a "mismatch of expectations" helpful:

"If you look at many 1 star reviews (of books, of music, of restaurants) this is precisely what you’re going to see. A mismatch of expectations. A mismatch that is blamed, completely, on the person who created the work, not the critic.

It doesn’t matter that the thing was clearly marked. It doesn’t matter that the thing was extraordinarily well-produced. And it doesn’t matter if just about everyone else experiencing it was thoroughly delighted."

You can either pander to the middle, putting everything in exactly the category they hoped for and challenging no expectations… Or you can do the incredibly hard work of transgressing genres, challenging expectations and seeking out the few people who want to experience something that matters, instead of something that’s merely safe."

-Seth Godin-          

So be your brilliant self. Don't pander to the middle. Your audience is out there--the ones whose expectations you'll meet (and exceed) every time--and these are the ones who matter. 

~Katie~