About a week back, a very thoughtful reader sent me an email with some incredibly insightful feedback. They had just finished Caitlyn Morcos, Interplanetary Marshal Service, and wanted to know if I was open to hearing about their experience with the book.
Yes. A thousand times yes.
So they sent along a list of stuff they liked, and stuff they thought needed work for my future projects. It was extremely kind, and I really appreciate them taking the time to give me their thoughts. A lot of writing is just kinda throwing stories out into the world and hoping that people enjoy them, so getting thoughtful, intelligent feedback is worth more than gold.
One of the big things they mentioned that I want to touch on briefly is that they’re not exactly sure who my intended audience is. A lot of Morcos is almost YA in tone: jokes, blushing deputies, kidding around. But then a fair amount of it is very dark, tackling serious issues and there is a significant amount of death and pain.
The short answer is ‘I don’t really know’. I write the kind of stories that I love to read and watch… witty banter, fast action, but not super serious or with “a message” baked in. Not that there is nothing wrong with super serious sci-fi! Some of it is great! But it’s not the kind of sci-fi that I love. So who is Morcos for? People who are like me, I guess, who find real-life stressful and depressing and are looking for an escape full of heroes that get to be heroic and villains that may be evil, but still have a moral compass they think is good.
Anyway, I really appreciated the feedback, and a lot of it is going to change some of what I do. One of the harder ones to work with was his suggestion to slow down my writing process… to focus on fewer books a year and pour more time and energy into them. It’s good advice, but it directly contradicts other advice I’ve received which basically boils down to “write as many books as you can at good quality so people know you produce consistent work.” I guess there’s a balance point in there somewhere, and I just have to find it.
Hope everyone out there is staying safe and healthy!