Genre - Make It Meaingful

by Bert Carson

My Amazing Writer Wife, Christina Carson, and I are both fans of Seth Godin.  I missed Seth's recent post, Who Are Your Customers?  Christina didn't miss it.  She doesn't miss much.

Using the wisdom of Seth as a starting point, yesterday she posted Who's Your Audience?

Both Christina and Seth nailed a question that has nagged writers since the first words were written - "Who is going to read this?"  The question is more important today than it was a zillion years ago when only three people could write and the same three were the only ones reading.

Today, everyone, all 7+ billion of us, reads and at least 6+ billion of us are authors.  So, who is reading what we're writing?

Seth says:

Knowing their demographics isn't enough.  We need to know:

What do they believe?
Who do they trust?
What are they afraid of and who do they trust?
What are they seeking?
Who are their friends?
What do they talk about?

Christina took Seth's questions to another level with these thoughts:

What do they believe?  There's got to be a better way to live than how they are presently doing so.
Who do they trust?  People who the courage to tell them the truth.
What are they afraid of?  Reaching the end of their lives without experiencing what they sense is possible.
Who do they love?  A person who inspires them and encourages them toward what they know is true for themselves.
What are they seeking?  Some way to live that offers substantive purpose and meaning.
Who are their friends?  Those who understand their longing and respect it.
What do that talk about it?  If they talk at all they share an intimate vision of a stimulating life unencumbered by the mundane and open to exploration and possibility.

Now, I'll tag along on the end of this line of thought with a single question.  How do we find these people?  And I'll answer because if I didn't learn anything else from the O.J. Simpson trial, I learned this - Don't ask a question you don't know the answer to.

The Question:  How do you find your audience?
The Answer:  You keep writing and writing and writing.  Because, it isn't about you finding them, it's about making it easy for them to find you.

Bert Carson