Writing for yourself is writing for others

A question writers face is, “Should I write for others, or should I write for myself? Is it better to write to fit a marketable genre, or should I write whatever moves me?” As Steven Barnes pointed out at a Loscon panel in 2022, there’s an overlap between what you want to write about and what will sell. Those are the things we should write about.

And then there’s Taylor Swift.

Like almost everyone with a phone, streaming service, and headphones, I listened to The Tortured Poets Department when it was released at 9:00 pm local time on April 18, and then I had to listen to it again when the Anthology version came out the next morning. I felt it was a great album, and I gave it a positive review on Threads. I’ve heard a few criticisms, including some about clumsy, tone-deaf lyrics, but we can agree The Tortured Poets Department is a deeply personal work.

And because it is deeply personal, audiences can connect with it on a personal level.

I saw this in the many reaction videos where people bawled at heartbreak songs like “loml,” nodded in agreement to “I Can Do It with a Broken Heart,” savored the digs of “thanK you aIMee,” and cheered at the love songs for Travis Kelce, “So High School” and “The Alchemy” (which should be played at every Chiefs home game). Because these songs are personal, we can…