> Think about the reader -> I've often heard people say "write for yourself"
Here's the truth, everyone who tells you they're writing for themselves is lying. If they were writing for themselves, they wouldn't publish it publicly.
Here's the truth, everyone who tells you they're writing for themselves is lying. If they were writing for themselves, they wouldn't publish it publicly.
Anyhow, it is not too difficult to understand the “write for yourself” aesthetic, if you are willing to make the effort. I think Jane Espenson describes it best: http://www.janeespenson.com/archives/00000619.php
But even so, I think the context here was more like "write the sort of book you would like to read", not strictly "write the book so that I and I alone can then read it".
Once a writer finds a consistent voice, with recurring themes and techniques, the call to write for oneself is unnecessary. There's enough material for an editor to work with that more specific and constructive criticism can be given.