As some of you know, my husband and I recently went on a
cross-country adventure. Seeing the northwest has been his bucket-list dream
for years. Now that he is “semi-retired” we had the time to do it.
Florida to Seattle and back again, but it was amazing to see new parts of the country. Stationed in the backseat of our van
along with my computer, Iphone, maps, books, and snacks, I enjoyed the ride
and staying in touch with my world.
What can compare to seeing snow-covered mountains and texting them to my friends
in the South and East?
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| Mt. Ranier, Washington as seen through the car window |
to avoid a “look at me!” mentality, but I truly was blessed to have this
opportunity. I was amazed at how
many people looked at my pictures and commented on them or shared them
with others.
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| Wichita, Ks. jordantarrant.com
|
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| http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/eastside/3-weeks-in-fans-still-mobbing-bellevue-chick-fil-a/ |
an article or a book, we’re hoping for a positive reaction from our “audience.”
Sometimes our audience surprises us.
With wind-blown hair, this picture of me taken in the Badlands National Park, South Dakota got more “likes” on Facebook than any other picture I posted.
and all things related to women’s health in latter years. She has an occasional
series showing women’s restroom doors. After spotting this door in The Canon Pub in
Columbus, Georgia,
 |
| At Worden’s Deli in Missoula, Mt |
 |
| Colton’s Steak House; Springfield, Mo |
a wheel chair, would appreciate this sculpture
on a bike trail in Springfield, Missouri, as well as a Korean barbecue restaurant in an international food court outside Seattle.
in Yellowstone,
image from her home state of Oregon:
 |
| Multnomah Falls, Oregon |
started wondering: do I take pictures–or write a book–to please an audience? And as flattering as “likes” are on Facebook or “favorites” on Twitter can be–am I writing to say something or to please an audience?
picturing your target reader. Do you agree? If you are writing a book, are you writing with a specific audience in mind? If you’ve already published books, is your audience who you expected it would be?
Take a look at Augusta Scattergood’s blog post on a similar topic.
What do you think? Has anticipating your audience shaped your work? If so, has that been a good or bad experience for you?
Meanwhile, thank you, blog readers and Facebook
friends, for being a kind, supportive audience. This picture is for you:
 |
| Coeur D’Alene, Idaho |
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How did I miss the bathroom doors?! Great post and I'm also still thinking about the “audience” question you posed. I don't think I outwardly think about my readers while writing. But I do catch myself- A LOT- deleting words that sound way too adult for a middle-grade novel. Thanks for sharing and for the shout-out.
Thanks Augusta. Listening to the language we use is so important!
Enjoyed the travelogue, and thanks for the inclusion of an Oregon landmark, Multnomah Falls!
My pleasure, LInda. thanks for being my Oregon (and other) expert!
Carol,Your trip was full of great scenery and special request photos. So glad you captured them for us to enjoy. I hope you're enjoying being home for a while now. Audience is whoever comes. We can intend for a set group, but don't be surprised by who actually shows up!
Love, love, love that definition of audience, Linda!!
I enjoyed sharing your trip with you on Facebook. I wish we could take a cross-country trip, but I don't think we have it in us anymore to be away from our grandchildren that long. Glad you had a great time.
Enjoyed this Carol. I have a restroom door pic for Barbara that is similar to one you just posted. I better hurry and send it. ;)Also really love the image of you with windblown hair.
Thanks for sharing photos of your road trip, Carol. I missed most of them on FB, probably because we were on a road trip at the same time to AZ and back. You've given me something to think about and the value of taking snapshots with an audience in mind. And perhaps I need to think more about audience when I'm writing.
Rosi- your grandkids have devoted grandparents! We missed ours too, but I think they liked getting postcards! Yes, Joyce– better send your picture to Barbara. She sure loves them! Good to hear from you Clara. You must have logged a lot of miles from the North to the west also. Taking pictures and sharing them kept me from being overly bored in the back seat! (And fed my photo-journalist fantasy!)
Carol, beautiful photos. I love the Badlands photo of you. Thank you for sharing and giving us some food for thought about audience. I definitely have an audience in mind when I write. Usually it's a younger version of myself or a young friend I know or my kids. I also write a great deal for myself. Occasionally, I've decided to share it with others (either as a blog post or a story for kids). I love road trips and we certainly enjoyed our cross-country trip from WA to SC four years ago even though we were a bit cramped. How I longed for a camper! Someday.
Thanks, Vijaya. I'm sure you have considered this concept for your books! I had the luxury of having the entire back seat to myself. It would have been a different trip if I had to share it with anyone else!!
I loved the pics, Carol! Driving cross-country is one of the things I long to do. As for the audience question, I didn't write my first book for a particular audience. Not sure if I've done that for any of my books. I tend to write for myself and the topics that come naturally.
Thanks, Dorothy! When you get to ready to make the trip, let me know. I'll have a few suggestions for you!
How did I miss the bathroom doors?! Great post and I'm also still thinking about the “audience” question you posed. I don't think I outwardly think about my readers while writing. But I do catch myself- A LOT- deleting words that sound way too adult for a middle-grade novel. Thanks for sharing and for the shout-out.
Thanks Augusta. Listening to the language we use is so important!
Enjoyed the travelogue, and thanks for the inclusion of an Oregon landmark, Multnomah Falls!
My pleasure, LInda. thanks for being my Oregon (and other) expert!
Carol,Your trip was full of great scenery and special request photos. So glad you captured them for us to enjoy. I hope you're enjoying being home for a while now. Audience is whoever comes. We can intend for a set group, but don't be surprised by who actually shows up!
Love, love, love that definition of audience, Linda!!
I enjoyed sharing your trip with you on Facebook. I wish we could take a cross-country trip, but I don't think we have it in us anymore to be away from our grandchildren that long. Glad you had a great time.
Enjoyed this Carol. I have a restroom door pic for Barbara that is similar to one you just posted. I better hurry and send it. ;)Also really love the image of you with windblown hair.
Thanks for sharing photos of your road trip, Carol. I missed most of them on FB, probably because we were on a road trip at the same time to AZ and back. You've given me something to think about and the value of taking snapshots with an audience in mind. And perhaps I need to think more about audience when I'm writing.
Rosi- your grandkids have devoted grandparents! We missed ours too, but I think they liked getting postcards! Yes, Joyce– better send your picture to Barbara. She sure loves them! Good to hear from you Clara. You must have logged a lot of miles from the North to the west also. Taking pictures and sharing them kept me from being overly bored in the back seat! (And fed my photo-journalist fantasy!)
Carol, beautiful photos. I love the Badlands photo of you. Thank you for sharing and giving us some food for thought about audience. I definitely have an audience in mind when I write. Usually it's a younger version of myself or a young friend I know or my kids. I also write a great deal for myself. Occasionally, I've decided to share it with others (either as a blog post or a story for kids). I love road trips and we certainly enjoyed our cross-country trip from WA to SC four years ago even though we were a bit cramped. How I longed for a camper! Someday.
Thanks, Vijaya. I'm sure you have considered this concept for your books! I had the luxury of having the entire back seat to myself. It would have been a different trip if I had to share it with anyone else!!
I loved the pics, Carol! Driving cross-country is one of the things I long to do. As for the audience question, I didn't write my first book for a particular audience. Not sure if I've done that for any of my books. I tend to write for myself and the topics that come naturally.
Thanks, Dorothy! When you get to ready to make the trip, let me know. I'll have a few suggestions for you!