Paper is your launch pad, sentences your fuel—prepare for a writing adventure!
For someone with as much anxiety as I have, it’s sometimes hard for me to believe that I’m barely a blip on most people’s radars. I work hard not to be seen, and it’s mostly wasted effort. And of course, the more time I spend trying to figure out what people are thinking, the more convinced I am that everyone else is doing the same. But they aren’t. People may see me in one moment, and by time they’ve blinked their thoughts have moved on to football or food.
Strategy:
This writing exercise is designed to encourage writers to explore and articulate feelings related to their writing career and identity. By engaging in a form of roleplay through writing, participants will confront the challenge of invisibility in the literary world, examine their desires for commercial success versus authenticity, and imagine the profound impact their work can have on readers who truly understand them. The goal is to reinforce the importance of authentic voice and vision in building a meaningful connection with an audience.
Instructions:
Exploring Motivations: Reflect on what drove you to become a writer. Write a paragraph detailing your initial inspiration, passion for storytelling, or any pivotal moments that led you to pursue writing.
Balancing Act: Consider how you might adjust your writing to be more commercially successful without sacrificing your voice. List three specific changes you could make (e.g., genre exploration, writing style adjustments, market research) and how these might impact your authenticity.
Perceived Views: Write a paragraph imagining what readers, publishers, or other stakeholders in your success might currently think about you and your work. Do they see you? What are their perceptions or misperceptions?
Success Imagined: Reflect on your idea of success. Write about how achieving your imagined success makes you feel. Is it fulfilling, or does it feel hollow? Why?
Escaping Invisibility: Propose strategies for overcoming invisibility and being seen as your authentic self. This could involve specific marketing tactics, community engagement, or new forms of storytelling that better reflect your identity.
Dialogue of Recognition (optional): Write a short dialogue between you and a reader who deeply connects with your work. This reader sees your authentic self through your writing and feels seen in return. The conversation should reveal the impact of your work on the reader and affirm your identity as a writer.
Sample
This exercise was inspired by two quotes from Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man. A theme explored by the book is the difficulty of being truly seen. On the one hand we can try to join others where they are, but in truth most people are preoccupied with their own baggage. And even if you do get seen, is it truly you?
"I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me. ... When they approach me they see only my surroundings, themselves, or figments of their imagination -- indeed, everything and anything except me."
― Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man
"I was pulled this way and that for longer than I can remember. And my problem was that I always tried to go in everyone's way but my own. I have also been called one thing and then another while no one really wished to hear what I called myself. So after years of trying to adopt the opinions of others I finally rebelled. I am an invisible man."
― Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man
Tags: marketing, authenticity, invisibility, commercial success, reader connection, dialogue
Category: Manage Projects > Define your Objectives
Example:
Exploring Motivations: I began writing to escape. As a child, books were portals to other worlds, and I wanted to create my own. A pivotal moment was winning a school writing contest, which made me believe I could be a writer.
Balancing Act: To be more commercially successful, I could (1) incorporate trending themes in speculative fiction, (2) adopt a more straightforward narrative style for broader appeal, and (3) engage more with social media to understand my audience. While these adjustments might broaden my reach, I worry they could dilute my unique voice.
Perceived Views: I imagine most readers haven't yet discovered me. Those who have might see me as an emerging writer with potential but still searching for a distinct voice. Publishers are likely looking for more marketable narratives than the niche stories I prefer.
Success Imagined: Achieving success feels like a dream, but I worry it might feel hollow if it means straying too far from the stories I truly want to tell. Authenticity is important to me, and success without it wouldn't feel as rewarding.
Escaping Invisibility: I could start a blog to share my writing journey and snippets of my work, engage more with readers on platforms like Twitter and Goodreads, and seek out niche markets where my unique voice might be more appreciated.
Dialogue of Recognition (optional):
Reader: "Your book, I Brake for Ducks, felt like it was written just for me. It's rare to find something that speaks to my experience so directly."
Me: "Hearing that means everything to me. I often wonder if my words find the right readers. What was it about the story that resonated with you?"
Reader: "The way you describe feeling invisible in a crowded room. I've felt that way my whole life, but never saw it in writing before. Also, I loved when Winston noticed how the ducks would walk out in front of his car, expecting to be seen. I, too, wish I could be as brave as a duck."
Me: "That's exactly why I write. To reach out to those who feel unseen. Thank you for letting me know my words found you."