Write for One Reader

“I’m afraid,” I told my professor as I toyed with the straw of my bubble tea. The café wasn’t crowded, but I kept my voice low, as if we were discussing our darkest secrets.

“That’s normal for writers,” she replied. “But what scares you, exactly?”

My answers tumbled out like gumballs. “That I’ll never write. Or that people will hate my writing. Do you read the negative reviews for your books?”

My professor shook her head of dark hair. “I try not to let it get to me, because I know my books won’t be for everyone.”

She taught comparative studies — Literature and the Self — in addition to being an established author, having just published her third novel. A review copy sat in front of me on the table.

“How do you stay sane while you’re drafting?” I asked. “I mean, how do you get past all the…noise of worrying people won’t like it?”

She held up a finger and grabbed the copy of her book, pulling a Sharpie from her purse. After scribbling something on the cover page, she slid it back across the table. I stared at the message.

Write for one reader.

“Who do you write for?” I asked.

To be honest, I don’t remember her answer. But I do remember the one that bubbled up inside me when I asked myself the same question…