As a writer, I know my best bet of connecting with readers is to tell a darn good story. “The wand chooses the wizard, Mr. Potter,” J.K. Rowling once wrote. Stories choose their writers too – this I believe. I only hope the stories that choose me are rollicking good yarns.
Two things have always been constant:
1) The odds are against any aspiring novelist. This is a tough calling. Anyone who’s genuinely tried to write a novel can tell you that.
But there’s also this:
2) Whether or not people read as much as they once did, the hunger for stories is out there. It was there in the days when we huddled around fires in sheltering caves. It’s with us today.
Since the rise of computers, two more elements affect a writer’s odds of finding readers:
3) Reading is becoming a lost art. (That thing people do when they glance at their smartphones doesn’t count. “Reading” is sustained concentration on a print narrative that runs thousands of words; smartphone addicts don’t hone that kind of concentration. They simply let their eyes dart over tweets and text messages barely long enough to fit a fortune cookie’s innards.)
And:
4) Despite fewer readers, the rate at which novels are being published – and especially self published – is exploding. Have access to a keyboard and a computer? You too can write and self publish a book!
So how is a novelist to find her audience today? I wish I had a definitive answer. Craft is part of it. I work constantly to hone my craft. Diligence and persistence factor in. I throw those in the mix too. But, in the end, it’s like when a chef concocts a great meal – a little bit of magic needs to happen. That hunger for great stories will take care of the rest.