The Writer’s Platform — A Story of Insanity
Part of being a writer these days is having a “platform” and it’s the thing that scares me the most. I have enough trouble writing, how am I possibly expected to run a full-out marketing campaign promoting myself, for the rest of my life. It may sound dramatic, but it’s not far from what is expected of authors these days. I have garner email addresses, get page views and likes, increase followers and engagement. And, by the way, all of this is on top of having to write content that supports all these other activities. It’s enough to make me want to write fiction.
And thus began my venture into a world so unknown to me, it seemed magical. I have told myself my whole life that I am a nonfiction writer, a journalist. And I truly believe (and still do) that I couldn’t write fiction for my life. But as being a nonfiction writer becomes less about you and your writing and more about readers and audience, maybe indulging in some imagination is the cure? Maybe doing something totally different will counteract the 10 years of constant inner turmoil over being a writer nowadays. Yes, I know fiction authors need platforms too. But it seems much more acceptable to, at least be growing your platform as a fiction author, versus having to come to the publishing world with an “established platform.” Even those words make nauseous.
I know it’s a new world and I know I can’t stomp my feet and refuse to participate forever. I want all the things a platform provides — a dedicated audience, committed readers, ways to engage with your readers. But the idea of building one from scratch is so overwhelming that it almost makes me question being a writer at all. Yes, I know I sound like a crybaby. And maybe writing is easier for some writers than it is for me. And the same goes for marketing and social media and the rest of it. So, I am left to begin at the beginning in a world with so many voices I don’t know how any author can possibly get heard. As with any writing-related endeavor, the only choice is to “Neil Gaiman it.” That is to “put one word after another until it’s done.”
“It’s that simple and it’s that hard.”
For more insanity on women, writing and TV:
Or follow me on Twitter:
