I write my novel with a real clarity and passion for what story I want to tell, but I'm constantly aware that its a piece that must be sellable. I'm unemployed and don't think I'll ever get a job again, so while for some people writing might be a hobby or a lark or passion they do purely for their enjoyment, for me its deadly serious. But this has never constrained me from saying what I want to say in my story - its never curbed me in any way. It just means I have to be very carefull with grammer and accuracy etc. But as far as I'm concerned all writers should worry about those things anyway. An actor might be on stage because they love to act, but once they're in front of an audience, they've got a job to do.
It's fine to experiment, but you have to understand that you're taking a risk. If you don't think the audience's opinion matters in your case, fine; but if you post it on a forum like this, you are making it accountable to an audience. If you ask our opinion one minute and then discard it the next on the grounds that your creative vision is more important than what we think of it, then no offense, but why ask in the first place? My point isn't that you should squelch your artistic vision for the sake of pleasing us. Far from it! By all means, try new things; it will expand your mind and ours! But understand that every time you do so, you are taking a risk and not everyone will like it. And if you ask for our opinion on whether a particular risk will work or not and we say no, the best thing for your writing is to consider why we don't think the risk is appealing. Often, it will help you quite a bit. And I speak from experience: when I first started, I wrote in this weird point of view that was pseudo-omniscient, where you could see the thoughts of several different people, but not everyone. When people told me my point of view was a poor choice, I was angry at first and thought that they must just be against new things. But after a bit more thought, I've realized that they're right: point of view either should be consistent, or the inconsistency should serve a purpose. My artistic vision has changed since I started because I've learned more. If you take others' opinions into account with the basic axiom of remaining true to your own voice, your vision and skill will grow.
IMO, you would only consider catering to particular audiences if you intended to publish your work and live off the profits, and it wouldn't work very well, simply because you wouldn't sound like yourself.
I think we need to be careful not to imply that published writers who have good sales are sell-outs. I mean, one could put the shoe on the other foot and imply that others simply aren't skilled enough to keep their voice and still get published. I don't think either mentality is productive to a discussion.
It kind of depends... If you want to sell your book, is obvious that you have to think in the audience a bit... If the book is for children, I would think it through in what I'm writing. Though writing about only things that are socially acceptable, for me, it's frustating. A good story will make the readers think and question what they know about the world -- not always a writer can get to that goal without writing some things that aren't socially acceptable Especially, I think, because what is socially acceptable changes a lot through time... Something that was acceptable hundred of years ago isn't acceptable anymore... And what if your story was set hundred of years ago? You are not going to adress to that particular issue? I would.
I don't see how connections are deceitful; to me, they're the whole point. Let's say that you're a great conversationalist, and you make wonderful emotional connections with people through conversation. Let's say that you can speak in both English and German. You're talking to someone who speaks only German. Do you feel that your conversational efforts are worthless if you consciously choose to speak German to them instead of English? That's a conscious choice made for the purpose of furthering communication. You did it for the sake of the person you're speaking to, rather than doing it purely and solely for your own sake. Does it therefore make the conversation worthless? You may feel that my analogy is silly and is unrelated to writing, but to me, it's exactly the same thing. I write to express myself, but that means that I write to express myself _to other people_. To me, writing is communication. I understand that you may not feel that writing is about communication, but to a person that does, furthering that communication is not selling out for popularity, it's instead essential to the purpose of writing in the first place. I don't need to communicate to three million people, but if I can change my writing to communicate with thirty or three hundred instead of three, and still keep my voice, I'm absolutely going to make that change. I don't see that as deceitful or selling out, I see it as an improvement. ChickenFreak
I've actually always heard authors say to write what you love and not for the audience. Everyone here has been saying the correct things, though. If you're hoping to establish a writing career, you do have to appeal to your readers. Do so blindly, however, and there will be no heart in the story. Success only shows itself when there is heart.
Write to your passions and write to your strengths, because who really wants to read something written by someone who hates the subject and knows nothing about it?