Over at TMI, Bre had an incredibly thought-provoking post. The post posed (and answered, for Bre) the question of whether or not writers owe their readers.

I started commenting. When that comment began to reach epic proportions (even for me) I decided to go ahead and make it a blog post.

My Opinion

I do feel a sense of responsibility toward my readers – but only a certain amount.

Writers and readers can both live in a world where they expect nothing from each other – writers can do what they please without caring what the readers think, and readers can also do what they please without caring what the writers think.

Egotistical Priest – an Example

But, for example, on Ego I promised Tuesday and Thursday posts. And it was that promise – that sense of self-imposed (emphasis on self-imposed) obligation which made sure that posts got done. If I didn’t feel that I owed my readers at least some small amount, the blog itself would almost never have gotten updated.

On the flip side of that, if I needed a day off, I took it. I felt just enough obligation to write a post on the blog letting people know that I was going to or apologizing for having done so, but I felt not one whit of guilt for taking those days “off”.

Two Way Street

And it’s not just the readers who get something out of the deal. By keeping myself to a schedule, I was building MY blog. I was making sure that MY blog was filled with posts, and I was getting comments from people about what I’d written.

My ego (lowercase E) was fed by the blog just as much as (I hope) the readers felt that they could depend on me.

But again, that’s self imposed. That was a choice I made, and right now the blog in in flux as to whether or not I will be able to sustain it much longer. If I close the doors to the blog, it will be MY choice and I will not feel guilt over it, nor do I feel pressured to continue it any further because of what I “owe” my readers.

I’ve had a few instances of reader “ownership” there – the one that comes to mind immediately is when I had a long series of “fluff” posts and someone complained about the lack of theorycraft. Their implication that I “owed” them theorycraft was misplaced, but I tried instead to take a note that people enjoyed the theorycraft posts and looked forward to them.

They had every right to politely request more theorycraft posts, though in my mind, doing so with the implication that I had an obligation to write theorycraft posts was out of line. Especially since I never made a single red penny from Ego, and it obviously had significant time and monetary costs for me. I did the blog because I loved it, not because I got paid by the word.

(By the way, anyone willing to pay me by the word, you can reach me at tamijeanmoore@gmail.com. Wordcount is NOT a problem. It’s entirely possible I could write an entire book on the way strawberries taste. I could retire early.)

Do Writers Owe Readers?

I believe that if a writer DOES owe their readers, it should be a self-imposed thing. You can’t tell me that I owe you something, but I can tell you that I do.

Authors are perfectly right to sit alone in a darkened house for years upon years without writing, only to be struck by inspiration and crank out wordcounts whenever they want.

Aurhors are also perfectly right to feel that their readers are a source of incentive.

A Paper Boat

(Here’s the section where I try to make it look like my choice of icon today was intentional instead of me just going “whee, paper boat in a puddle! Pretty!”)

Like many things, this can be taken too far. Like a paper boat that begins its aquatic journey sturdy and crisp, even well-meaning authors can, over time, start to take on water and get a little soggy. The journey’s end could be a pitiful affair, barely even recognizeable as the same ship.

Authors cannot let incentive become obligation. At the end of the day, readers do NOT own writers, and as soon as writers start to feel trapped, or start writing something they hate just because they have to meet a deadline, or because their readers expect it – they’re taking on water. The moment author’s stop writing FOR THEMSELVES, their paper boat starts to sag and drift unsteadily.

The Reader’s Responsibility

I just realized that much of this post focused on what the WRITER owes, and the WRITER’s responsibility. Readers, too, should take a look at their behavior.

Especially with the anonymity afforded by the internet, it has become common practice to troll blogs, forums, and Amazon book reviews.

The difference between having the RIGHT to do or say whatever you want and having that action being the RIGHT thing to do is huge.

If you want a writer to start writing more, you can complain about how much time they’re spending NOT writing – how dare you go to a ball game, how dare you blog so much about your dogs, your kids, your dental visits, when you should be writing!

OR

You could tell that writer how much you love their stories and books. You can remind them of just how much that writing means to you, even though it may seem mundane to the writers themselves. You can let them know how much you are looking forward to their next book.

Both of those are your RIGHT to say, as a reader.

One of them tears the author down, makes them feel like shit (or just pisses them off, depending on their personality). Neither of those reactions is likely to result in the author heading merrily back to the manuscript with a glad heart. The second option makes the writer feel GOOD about themselves, and (more importantly) their writing.

The second options is the RIGHT one, simply because it is most likely to result in what you, the reader, want. More writing.

As always, this should be self-imposed. As a blog owner, it is my right to delete a vicious comment, but it’s also the right of the commenter to leave it. I believe the best censorship is the kind that happens in our own heads, rather than the kind that is enforced.

Summary

Readers don’t own writers.

Writers do not naturally owe readers anything.

My personal opinion is that writers who feel they owe readers at least a little are happier, and have happier readers.

And this is the comment that I finally decided was too long to just post as a comment on Bre’s post. I think I may have a problem. A word addiction. I can quit any time!