Nowadays it seems like the most important thing to know about your novel is the audience you want it to reach. You want to make sure your novel is about something beyond the knight slaying the dragon. You must make sure there's some moral or life lesson your readers, and characters, can apply to their lives. It's a big responsibility, and sometimes it just isn't easy to figure it out. There's another question you have to know the answer for yourself before you can really answer this for other people.
Why do you write?
This is a question you should ask yourself every time you sit down to write. Do you write because you'll go crazy if you don't? Do you write because you want the glory of publishing? It's an important thing to know about yourself.
I write first and foremost for me. I write to get the voices out of my head and escape to an ideal world. I write because if I didn't, I would probably end up in an insane asylum. (No, really.) Once you can answer this question, move on to something more specific.
Why are you writing this specific novel?
When I began writing my first "novel" (quotes because the wordcount peaked at 30k), I was writing it for two reasons. 1, I had a handful of characters. 2, everyone else was doing it!
Obviously, these aren't very good reasons to write. As the story evolved and I moved on from the writers I knew, I did it because I loved the story and I loved the idea of making my own story. That's when I went back and re-wrote the first five chapters and began doing it for me.
When I began my novel Mortal Minds, I was writing it from what I could remember of an awful nightmare. I was doing it so I could sleep at night, frankly. Now I'm in the stages of drafting it for the third time, and I'm writing it for two big reasons. The first is to continue to conquer my fears. The second is to empower others. My main character is battling depression along with the monsters attacking her; I want to show people that you can face whatever comes your way, but you can't always do it alone. Now for the big question!
Who is your target audience?
My target audience is myself at ten years old. I have realized as of late that I am writing to the awkward pre-teen who was rarely comfortable in her own skin. I sought the magical escape of whatever novel I could get my hands on. I desperately wanted to be the hero of almost everything I read or watched, and they were rarely female I might add. I write for that girl, and all the ones like her.
I don't know about you, but knowing all this makes me feel a little more at-ease about my writing. What's your target audience? What do you, as an author, have to bring to the table?
As always, keep calm and write on my friends.
