Insights

Communicating with new readers.

When I am in my home town, Kolhapur, I know the best places to eat that are not famous.

They are not yet touched by the tourists that come in millions to Mahalaxmi temple.

I prefer to eat at these places with my friends rather than going to some fancy restaurant.

There is only fame in the name and no substance.

Some are good but most of them have generalised their recipes for general audiences which come from all around the country and from no particular place.

The dishes in the well-known restaurants are designed to please everyone and they all taste the same.

Even the local delicacies are amended to be national delicacies.

Like “Indian Chinese” they make “Punjabi Kolhapuri”. Although Kolhapuri food has a well-known identity on its own.

I would rather go to the hidden gems than go to these places.

The reason I reflect upon this is due to the current stage of my writing journey.

The Internet is a brutal arena.

Feedback on your writing is not verbalised. No one has time for that, they scroll and click away.

The writer starting new, sees the world from an unseen dark corner.

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The corner has something unique to offer to this world, but the world is busy running behind what is already shining.

It is not the audience’s job to make an artist shine, agreed.

And it is only the artist and the artist himself who makes it for himself.

He has to shine, to be visible.

But this is not an easy task. Especially to present his work that is well accepted by his audience without diluting the message.

I was watching a documentary on YouTube I don’t remember the name.

A content creator at Vogue was asked, “Have you changed the message for the audience that is in the market right now?” The creator responded, “No we just changed the way it is presented.”

The world of literature has started presenting to the Millennials and GenZ now. As they also possess purchasing power.

But does that mean the message has to be changed?

Should you stop writing about the Fairies and start writing about the Barbies?

Barbie has adapted to the change, they come in many colours now.

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When a generation dives into the mainstream, is it not only about a trend?

A whole new avenue is to be found that will have its trends.

They speak a new tongue that is structured around abbreviations.

I can’t text a joke to my nephew without writing LOL or 😂

His reply otherwise is – “?”

We use the same words but a new structure so to speak.

The world doesn’t have time for lengthy discussions and in-depth writing – in general.

Scroll Scroll Scroll, it is a scroll culture.

So how would an artist find a way to get to know his audience? And how would the audience be persuaded to accept the invitation from the artist to his world?

Connections are not made by mere hit-and-run.

You have to walk, talk and sit with each other.

Earlier, people had time for this.

My grandmother used to read me horror stories every afternoon, and that introduced me to the world of reading.

She used to write me letters and I used to write back, which introduced me to the world of writing.

But the current generation doesn’t seem to have time for this. I sound like an old man (I am not).

My argument is that I don’t want to discard a chuck of society which has the potential to connect with me on a deeper level.

These kids speak about metaphysics and the universe. Things that are larger than life.

How can I invite them to read something that will introduce them to the unfathomable nature of our being?

An easy answer would be to completely ignore the juvenile section of society.

But that is an unempathetic perspective. It lacks inclusiveness.

Moreover, it discourages creators from adapting to the new. The change is what keeps us going, the refusal to change is the kiss of death.

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So how do you include the Youngsters as well as the Adult audience?

Let us not make mistakes before going ahead to frame the young generation to be immature.

I often find that they seem disengaged from society and family because they find it shallow.

They are craving for deeper conversation, maybe to feel a bit more superior but don’t want to in when we come to the age.

But it is a touchy topic, especially if your writing is inclined towards spirituality and creativity.

Not because of lack of content in the readers, but because the tone of these writings is often marinated in the language of scripture. It sounds poetic if not romantic.

It screams gring they say.

Louis the Phillipe took all the scripture of the old and added an aristocratic flare to it in Versailles.

It made the people feel rich and good about themselves.

It must have not been an easy task.

But he strived to train the people in a new way of language.

But there is a difference between that era and this era.

Firstly, we don’t have a king or queen to impose anything. Queen Victoria forced writers like Shaksphere to write comedy only because she liked it.

Secondly, there was no demand from the public for anything to be changed. They resisted the change. Today change happens to be more natural.

People want to change, for the better.

They want better clothes, better homes and better neighbourhoods.

Moreover, if they exhaust their basic needs, they want better entertainment and arts.

If you want to capitalise on the notion of this change for the better, you will have to learn to channel the energy of your audience.

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If you want a better audience, you need to be better every day.

And I don’t speak about it on a personal level. I love you as you are even before knowing and meeting you.

But, you have to learn the adapt your craft every single day.

I spend an hour or so every day only reading and learning about writing.

I have the utmost clarity on what I want to say, but how I want to say can always improve.

There are three stages to connect to your audience:

Assimilate –

Speak their language, hang out where they hang out.

Do what they do, wear what they wear.

Match your rhythms. Sway don’t march.

Connect –

Make a genuine connection.

For a while, it will feel like you are not being yourself when you assimilate. But that should not stop you from being genuine and honest.

This is crucial because your connection should have a foundation of honesty. It builds trust.

It is possible. I don’t write about how to write often, but it doesn’t mean I can’t be myself in the writing.

This is an invitation for your audience to be friends with you.

Channelise –

Welcome them.

In India whenever someone arrives at the doorstep we say Come.

And whenever someone is leaving the house, we also say Come.

No matter if the person is coming or going, we are always welcome.

Welcome the people into your world.

What makes us human is the empathy we have for each other.

We are the only animals that work towards the betterment of humanity as a collective goal.

Or at least we love to think that we are doing so. It’s unheard of cows having an association.

We understand each other from our suffering. We like to go through life together.

That is what makes us human, and that is what attempts to connect with the fellow human worth it.

I dare to express this because I know someone somewhere out there needs to read this.

Those who are not in need might find it useless, but that’s okay.

But I write for the one person that is sitting in another dark corner.

All he needs is some light to see the path. Once he sees the path, he will walk.

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We have to swallow the pill as a creator.

It is not going to be an easy path.

The first patron of Zarathustra was a corpse.

The pundits warned him not to go towards the town.

But the urge he had to share what he had found was more prevalent than the life itself.

He risked his life to convince people that there is more to their being.

I want to spend everything I have to do so.

I have left everything behind to do so.

My business and the time I spent with myself.

I have brought everything with me.

My business is what I do all day. Write. Read. Meditate.

Flow.

I have given up on the thought of living in my thoughts.

For the first time in a lifetime, I have found what I want to do and I am obsessed with it.

Madman never really finds a cure for his madness, he merely finds a way to channel it creatively.

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I am home. Always.

People will come and go, as will the trends and generations.

These lines are carved on the stone but on the beach sand.

The very nature of everything that exists is impermanent.

We are changing every single moment. We can expect the people and the audience to stay.

It’s not about the people really, it is about me.

Or the writer, painter and creative minds.

They want their guests to taste the best food in the town, but it is up to the guests to choose where they prefer to eat.

A plater of general items or that one thing, that is found only in that one hotel the artist knows about.

It is also up to the artist whether to bend or break.

It is easy with visual art to change the style and medium. No one grinds their colours anymore, everybody uses from the tube.

What will you do with the words?

They are always available. As they have been since its inception.

The change that occurs with the words is not due to external influences like industrialisation and technological revolution.

It adds to options and rarely subtracts.

It is the writer who has to walk in a thin line to sense the changing nature of the language.

The sensitivity allows him to shift the shapes of his words. Makes him omnipresent yet detached from the world.

Moreover, he also has to find a voice for it. His voice.

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Much has changed for me since I formalised my writing.

This means posting online regularly.

I found what works for me, I hope to find what works for you as a reader.

I have tried many mediums. But writing seems to be something that feels natural to me.

If time allows, I want to venture into vlogs too. But right now I feel more aligned with the medium of words than the images.

It allows me to paint a picture in my mind and readers to paint their own in their minds.

It feels like home.

Where I stand is my home. Welcome 🙂

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