How Can You Choose?
Quick! Name your favourite authors! Yeah, I can’t do that quickly, either (the list is much, much, much too long). But that’s my point. There are so many terrific writers, some of whom are big names that everyone has heard of, some of whom are niche authors. Some may be, technically speaking, not very good, but have nonetheless have captured your heart. Some you may admire because they’re skilled to an astonishing degree. Some may have been your favourites way back when. Some may be your new favourites. Some may not have been favourites before, but are now.
However many stars there are in the night sky (and astronomers estimate that’s 200 billion trillion—and that’s a lot!) there are just as many (or, let’s face it more) emotional reactions to books. That’s huge of bandwidth for us to work with as writers. It’s a good reminder that we can’t set out to “be the favourite” because, well, whose favourite? And when? But we can be a reader’s favourite—even if we’re not published. You can love a story you read by a family member or friend. You can love a piece of writing you read online. You can love your own writing. How’s that for a challenge? Write so you become your favourite writer!
To me, the concept is freeing. I can focus on what I want to write, how I want to write it, to the best of my ability, rather than attempt to satisfy impossible, nebulous—and artificial—metrics.