Brent Hartinger on Why, as a Writer, You Shouldn't Try to Please Everyone (Spoiler Alert: Because You Can't)

Fellow writers, I recommend you check out this post over at Brent's Substack, As a Writer, You Can't Please Everyone. Also, You Shouldn't Even Try.

Brent had amazing success with his first novel (Geography Club, which was eventually -- eleven years later -- made into a movie) and yet it's not the book he considers his best – not even close.

A taste:

My book, Geography Club, was very obviously a success — not because of reviews, or awards, or even necessarily sales.

It was a success because it had an impact: it created a fandom and inspired others, and it was part of an early wave of books that shifted the trajectory of YA literature — which, in turn, also shifted television and movies.

I mean, hey, maybe it even changed the world a little tiny bit.

I don’t necessarily see my other books as “failures.” Most of them found at least some passionate fans.

Which is what the writing process is really all about, right? Creating passion and having an impact — connecting with an audience?

But after thirty years in this business, I’ve realized something counterintuitive: you don’t connect with people by trying to connect with everyone. At least, I never have.

It's a great piece, and really gets to the heart of the issue for each of us to consider:

...why are you writing? What kind of writer do you want to be?

And extending that, what kind of book do you want to write? Who are you going to please? Brent has an answer:

It’s about writing what you think is relevant or interesting regardless of whether anyone else is interested.

It’s about, yeah, pleasing yourself.

And sometimes, that will connect with audiences and have that impact.

Head over to read the full piece, and then do some thinking/journaling on it.

Illustrate, Translate, and Write On,
Lee