One poster makes the following observation about her own attitudes:
Quote
Me, I avoid thinking about it as much as possible, because as soon as I let expectations and anxieties about the future into my brain, I can't write at all, much less enjoy doing it. I would rather continue to write and enjoy writing and never be published, than make myself miserable contemplating that I must do this or that according to the rules of the genre and the market if I want be published. I have tried thinking this way and the results were terrible enough that I don't want to risk it happening again.
As for gauging how much others may appreciate it, well, there are discussions like this one that can give you a sense of what people look for, and there's gathering one's own understanding of what's good and what works. There's always the option of asking for direct feedback from other fantasy writers and readers. There's a lot of information out there on what should and shouldn't be done. But when I say "I want to write something that could be considered good," I mean I want to write something good and be able to share it with others, not that I want to actually be called "good" by the world.
And I'm not deluding myself with the idea that I don't write for other people. I just prefer to keep those other people largely distant and hypothetical, or I fall into the trap of thinking about them while I'm trying to write. I would appreciate being called "good" by the world, but it's just not a priority, and I couldn't make it one even if I wanted to.
You guys are fantasy writers, whaddaya say?
-- P