What if you looked in the mirror one day and what stared right back isn’t you? What would you feel first? 

Fear—that’s right. And it’s simple. You know who you are, and when something, for whatever reason, conflicts with the knowledge of your identity in such a glaring manner, it would scare you to your marrow. 

If you don’t feel fear, you should pop champagne for just looking in the mirror for the very first time. Hallelujah. 

Now, as writers, we all have our unique identity: tone, mood, style, and the genres that you think define your work. In summary, it is you that attracts your audience, in the various forms you’re seen. And creative freedom? It is your fundamental right as a writer to be free and true to yourself first. If you lack either of these, you should be scared. 

Let’s take a jump back to the summary: ‘It is you that attracts your audience.’ 

Every performance attracts an audience, from a symphony performance to a street rap battle to a theatrical act. In every case, the right audience exists for an authentic work of art. So what must you do to ‘attract’ your audience? 

Do you, brilliantly so, and be credible. That’s really all there is to it. 

The Problem  

Audience perception has always been considered an essential part of a writer’s growth. ‘They aid us through the writing process, and we learn considerably from the feedback we get.’ In that regard, ‘Understand your audience’ has become a mantra many creative writers want to live by.  

However, wisdom is realising there’s danger present when you allow yourself to need an audience. If you’re a writer, do just that—write. Be courageous in your own skin. Get to that script or novel without the fear of how the world would perceive you. There’s an audience waiting for you—one you can find true growth with. 

Unfortunately, many writers are obsessed with the dangerous advice ‘Write for your audience,’ and eventually, they tailor their works to suit who they think their audiences are. And here's why your writer identity and freedom of creative expression matters. 

To buttress that, you need to be aware of these two things: 

     1. Your voice comes first

 If you don’t have the freedom to access your creative spirit and spin off your ideas, what exactly are you writing? Why do you write? Whom do you write for? 

     2. The world isn’t your audience

 No matter how good of a person you are, the world could never be your ally. It’s the same with being a writer. You could offer great entertainment, inspiration, and solve problems, yet people still wouldn’t care. I have met people who said, “I don’t really like his works,” “I just can’t relate to what he writes about.” (And him here is Stephen King.) Does that make these people evil? No. It makes them simply human because things speak differently to us. This could be as a result of our backgrounds, religion, traditions, interests, and view of life in general. So, why then do you need an audience? Here are three reasons you don’t: 

     1. To Stay Authentic

 Authenticity refers to writing in your own voice and tapping into the emotions present in your story. How well do you do this, and what runs through your mind during the process? Sadly, there’s rarely room for this when you’re scared to dig deep into your own truth of your ideas because of the fear of how they will be perceived. I came across this quote by Frank Kafka that says, “Don’t bend; don’t water it down; don’t try to make it logical; don’t edit your own soul according to the fashion. Rather, follow your most intense obsession mercilessly.” To be a writer is to be authentic, and to be authentic is to be courageous. Remember, your would-be readers and viewers can sense honest emotions. 

     2. To Keep Your Creative Engine Alive 

 Your creative engine as a writer determines your productivity either as one who comes up with one or two ideas in a year or one who comes up with an idea every month. As long as you work—freewriting, brainstorming, journaling, writing, and editing, your creative engine runs. The active state of your engine could, however, be subject to change due to some factors that include needing an audience. Imagine this scenario: someone’s relentlessly trying to keep a conversation with you while you’re running in a race. No matter what position you’re headed (first or last), it’s bound to be exhausting (“Buzz off,” your head’s saying). You don’t need that because it’s not the right time and place. If you can do this in a physical setting, why not in a mental setting? You stand nothing to gain, giving in to your fear of how the world would perceive your works (except a piece of work that feels plastic, of course.) And one you’d even get by grace. Because if the terrible state of your engine is not attended to immediately, you may lose interest in your creative goals. 

     3. To Avoid Being Dangerously Open-minded 

Open-mindedness will help you on your journey as a writer. However, like in that race in the subtheme above, know the right time and place. You can pay attention when the work’s done and your audience is dining at the table you’ve prepared for them. Be open-minded to their opinions and feelings because you never can tell where the idea for your next big thing lies. And it’d also help you develop emotional connection and build your community. But be wise. Be wise enough to filter what shouldn’t matter to you. Avoid absorbing right about every opinion like a sponge, or you’d be on your way to fixing your ideas to their standard. And at this point, you’re fast losing touch with your identity and freedom of creative expression. “A word after a word after a word is power.” 

~Margaret Atwood

But what’s power when you’re not in control? In conclusion, you need to look in the mirror and see yourself staring back. Mind you, you won’t always feel great at your reflection; you could see a broken version of yourself—scarred, scared, tired… But it’s all you, and there’s room to be better. It should scare you to look in the mirror and see a total stranger. No authentic self, voice, freedom—caged. So tell that voice in your head to buzz off and own your identity today.

About the Author

Moyo J. Bassey Writes Stories that Connect People, Human to Human. Screenwriter| Filmmaker-in-the-making| Serial Ghostwriter| Author| ForbesBLK Member| Accidental Rapper. Image courtesy of Ismael Sánchez.

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