This is as true for me as it is for you.
What genres of books do you read? Let’s start with the big picture, fiction versus nonfiction. If you’re anything like me, you read several different types of both. In my case, my nonfiction choices are pretty diverse. Mindfulness, wealth management, psychology, physics, philosophy, self-improvement, and more are in my libraries (digital and physical).
When it comes to fiction, depending on the source you choose to get your data from, there are anywhere from dozens to more than 160 genres and subgenres of fiction out there. Even sci-fi breaks down into subgenres like sci-fantasy, hard sci-fi, space opera, humorous sci-fi, cyberpunk, and more. Fantasy breaks down into urban fantasy, epic fantasy, swords and sorcery, and more.
There are lots of books in numerous genres out there for you to read. However, some genres are not for you. They’re not for everyone. That’s not to say any are better or worse, they’re just not for you.
This is also important to recognize when it comes to your writing, art, or other creative endeavors. Whatever you create cannot and will not be for everyone. This is not, however, a bad thing, no matter the narrative to the contrary.
Your tastes might not be my tastes and vice versa
How do you feel about Brussels sprouts? As a child, I was not a fan. Now, as an adult, they’re among my favorite veggies.
Are you wrong if you don’t like them? Am I wrong if I do? Of course not. This is true of so many things. My favorite color is blue. You might be more enamored of pink, red, orange, or chartreuse. Are you wrong or am I wrong in this instance? No, of course not.
Your tastes might not be my tastes and vice versa. While I love to read and write sci-fi and fantasy, many people aren’t into these genres. My sister, for example, is an avid reader, and most of what she’s into is thrillers, crime fiction, suspense, mystery, and the like. However, once in a while, she reads something that crosses into sci-fi (and I might read something that crosses into thrillers/mysteries).
That means that for every genre of writing I like, food I enjoy, color I prefer, there are far more I’m not into. Nothing at all is ever for everyone, even if it’s intended as such.
Art, for example, is hugely subjective. Someone might think that 3D pop art painting is the height of beauty and genius while someone else can’t fathom why anyone would spend tens of thousands of dollars for it or other works like it.
When it comes to your writing, it’s not going to be for everyone. No matter what genre or genres you work in, you’ll not please, excite, or entice every audience. Even a well-written business piece might fall flat because it fails to resonate with an intended audience.
This is why writers and artists form communities; because it’s not about competition.
Your writing isn’t for everyone
When I first started to blog regularly, I was worried that I’d create a distraction from the audience I most desired to attract. Sci-fi and fantasy is my first love as a writer. While I love to write about nonfiction matters like the ongoing process of writing and the arts, mindfulness, conscious reality creation, positivity, and better mental health, wellness, and wellbeing, fiction is the heart of my joy.
After years of attempting to publish via the traditional route, I chose to start self-publishing. The pandemic spurred my creativity and my passion even more, and since 2020 I’ve completed and published 10 novels, with 3 more coming out in 2024 and at least 1 in 2025.
Most of what I’ve been publishing is sci-fi. However, sci-fi is not for everyone. Then, just to add insult to injury, some lovers of sci-fi get offended by its inherent “wokeness”. Sorry, people, sci-fi has always been “woke”. What’s more, being “woke” is a damn sight better than being asleep and letting someone else direct your life. But I digress.
My writing isn’t for everyone. Your writing – or your art or like works – isn’t for everyone, either. This can be frustrating and disappointing. However, recognizing it is the path to focusing on your audience to produce the best work that you can.
Know your audience
When I started college, I had to take a writing test. I thought I passed it with flying colors, but found myself in a low-level, nearly remedial writing class. This would prove, however, to be one of the best classes of my college career.
The professor taught us not to follow the standard formula, but instead to write for our audience. This proved to be one of the most invaluable lessons I’ve been able to apply to writing.
Know your audience. Your writing isn’t for everyone, but there is an audience for your writing out there. Who do you envision reading your work? What kind of person buys your books, reads them, enjoys them, and talks about what they contain? Who is your audience? Knowing this, you can see who your writing is for, since it’s not for everyone.
This applies to all the arts. Their inherent subjectivity means what attracts one might repulse another. Your audience might love “x” but despise “y”. Knowing that, and them, tells you who you are working to reach, since your writing (or art or food or whatever) isn’t for everyone.
Nothing is for everyone
Despite claims to the contrary, there is nothing in the whole wide world for everyone, save life, love, potential, and possibilities. No tangibles are for everyone. You might desire to get yourself a BMW, or maybe you’re an Audi person. Then again, a Honda might be perfect for you. If a certain car was for everyone there wouldn’t be so many brands, styles, and options out there.
Recognizing and acknowledging this truth helps you work on bettering your art, expanding and enhancing your creativity, and focusing on doing the work for your audience, rather than for everyone. Keeping mindful of this is not lessening your work, but instead offering options to expand it for your audience specifically, rather than attempting to cater to everyone.
Thanks for reading. As I share my creative journey with you, I conclude with this: How are you inspired to be your own creator – whatever form that takes?
Please take a moment to check out the collection of my published works, which can be found here.
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