should one write for themselves first?

[cacian]

So one would write one set of texts for themselves then another set for their readers.
After all one knows oneself better to write for oneself and then write for others when ready.

[hillwalker]

So one would write one set of text for themselves then another set for their readers.
After all one knows oneself better to write for oneself and then write for others when ready.

Why?

I enjoy reading and always try to write something I would enjoy reading myself. I don't see a need for double standards.

H

[Charles Darnay]

When you write drafts (if you write drafts) it is a fair rule to abide by. Write simply for yourself and let the ideas and style flow - then go back and remove the inside jokes and egotistical parts that nobody but you would understand or care about. This is gerenally how I work.

[WolfLarsen]

Write for yourselves and shove it down the throats of the readers and the audiences!

Writing is a form of warfare.

[hillwalker]

Write for yourselves and shove it down the throats of the readers and the audiences!

Writing is a form of warfare.

So true. If they can't handle it, it's their problem not yours.

H

[Grit]

So true. If they can't handle it, it's their problem not yours.

H

Haha, this gave me a chuckle. If every person on this forum had that approach, there would be no discussion about work, only melodramatic exits once a reader points out incorrect grammar or a weak plot point.

I think as much as writers write for themselves, they also write for a perceived audience. Write for yourself first and your readers second.

[hillwalker]

Ever heard of irony? :mad5:

H

[Delta40]

If I lived a life dependent on other people's opinions and decisions, of course I would write for others first....

Any ideas what I should say next?

[cacian]

Write for yourselves and shove it down the throats of the readers and the audiences!

Writing is a form of warfare.

LOL not really if one know how to eat one would acquire a taste first.

[WolfLarsen]

LOL not really if one know how to eat one would acquire a taste first.

Why not just eat the audience? Why not just eat the reader? Let the writer be a cannibal!

Your pen is a sword. Think of yourself the writer as a Viking descending into the world of literature with a sword slashing through everything as you go about your business. Do the same thing to literature that my Viking ancestors did to Europe. Why not?

[xtianfriborg13]

I don't see the point of writing two versions just to have something for you and another for other people. :)

[Buh4Bee]

If you want to write for yourself keep a diary, but be sure it is well written. Someone may read it one day.

[cacian]

I don't see the point of writing two versions just to have something for you and another for other people. :)

I think the whole point of the first version is that it is the original copie something to look at and see where you are improvement and not are.
It is like a case study of all your writing.

[hillwalker]

I still don't see why draft 1 is for yourself and draft 2 for your audience. Surely you're writing draft 1 with an audience in mind.

Redrafts and editing are different to writing a personal diary then rewriting it for public consumption. And what's a 'case study of all your writing'?

You seem to be making a very simple exercise extremely complex.

H

[cacian]

I still don't see why draft 1 is for yourself and draft 2 for your audience. Surely you're writing draft 1 with an audience in mind.

Redrafts and editing are different to writing a personal diary then rewriting it for public consumption. And what's a 'case study of all your writing'?

You seem to be making a very simple exercise extremely complex.

H

Well I seem to think that everything I write is of value.
Writing is time consuming and so anything I write down is to be taken into account one never knows when one might need it.
It is my writing instinct telling me I should.