Fifteen years ago when I was in college, I was really struggling with this idea. I've never been able to write without talking out plot problems with someone, I lose so much momentum when I don't have beta readers and friends leaving margin comments. But I kept hearing "writers write for themselves."
And then one night I was lying on a mostly-deflated air mattress in my friend's living room at midnight, staring at the ceiling, and I had the epiphany: I don't want to be a writer. I want to be a storyteller.
Picture the most classic archetype of the Writer At Work. Seriously, close your eyes and do it for a sec -- picture the space they're in, what they're wearing, the mood, etc. I've had a lot of people do this exercise, and the vast majority of descriptions share common traits: The Writer is at a desk in an empty room, often a drafty garret, and when people mention a window or the weather, they say it's cold, or gloomy, or rainy. The writer is hunched over their work, looking miserable. It's a very, very lonely scene, isn't it?
When I do this exercise with people, I now ask them to picture the most classic archetype of the Storyteller. And the moment I ask that question, people's posture changes. They blink, and a tension goes out of their faces, and they think for a minute and start smiling. They already know the point I'm about to make. Then they tell me what they picture, but the descriptions aren't quite as consistent -- most of them fall into two types: In the first type, they'll tell me the Storyteller at a campfire, talking as other people lean in to listen. The forest around them is dark. The Storyteller is animated, engaging. The fire is warm and bright. In the second type, they'll tell me they picture a crowded room, often a tavern or a party. The Storyteller stands at the fireplace, leaning their arm on the mantelpiece; they have a drink in their hand. The room is full of people laughing and listening to them. The Storyteller is animated, engaging. The fire is warm and bright.
I still think about that a lot. The Writer, cold and lonely. The Storyteller, a hearthkeeper surrounded by community.
When people think about "writing for an audience" they often jump to conclusions and imagine the most extreme end of the spectrum where it gets toxic and unhealthy -- being beholden to the audience, a slave to the audience's whims, unpersoning yourself in order to appease their hostility. But it's not actually like that when you're doing it right. The Storyteller retains their humanity. Not everybody likes every story, and that's alright. Sometimes you get a tough crowd, that's just the way it goes. But it's worth it, you know? You show up, you get to be cozy by the fire with other people instead of all alone in a room, and you share something.
It's very simple. And it's the most human activity that you can engage in.
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