Priorities

We often hear writers say, “I want to be a writer, not a content creator.” In the social media age, wanting to focus exclusively on our craft without needing to become an influencer can seem like a long-lost cause. This isn’t new. Authors have always faced expectations to appear, whether on a book tour or a talk show, and plenty have built successful careers doing the opposite. Audiences respond to writers who remain true to their values, interests, and goals.

Before publishing her 19th novel in 2012, Anne Tyler hadn’t given a face-to-face interview in nearly four decades. Widely celebrated for her intimate character-driven novels, Tyler grew up in a Quaker commune in the mountains of North Carolina, separate from much of the outside world. At a young age, she began moving to the beat of her own drum. After studying at Duke, she went on to graduate work at Columbia, where she chose Russian “because that was one of the most outrageous things you could do in America in the 1950s,” she said in a 2012 interview with The Guardian.

Her first novel, If Morning Ever Comes, was published when she was twenty-three. Ten novels later, Breathing Lessons earned her the Pulitzer Prize. Through and through, Tyler’s work has remained focused on her areas of interest: middle-class America and the city of Baltimore, her home since 1967.

In that same rare interview with The Guardian, Tyler shed light on why she has chosen to maintain an unusually private life, forgoing interviews, book tours, and other expectations of the modern writer. Speaking at length about her work, she said, makes it hard to return to it afterward. The secret of writing, in her words, “is to pretend to yourself that no one will see it, ever.” Promoting her work makes that peace of mind difficult to maintain.

We want people to read our stories, but we don’t always want to know people are reading our stories. Great writing is honest, and honest writing isn’t always safe. Tyler’s example suggests that privacy can be an asset. If stepping back from the public side of the work is what lets you produce it, readers get the better end of that trade.

When we think of developing readership, we default to promotion. However, if promotion takes away from our writing, that may not be the right approach. Strong audiences are built on strong stories. Writing should always be the priority. Our Odyssey Groups are built around that balance, helping writers grow a readership without letting it crowd out the work.