Who I Write For
I'm pretty sure that every author writes with a particular reader in mind. So who is this person I write for?
Some people call it a target audience, but I don't think it's a very accurate term. Even twins can differ in their characters and behaviors, let alone such a vague and vast group as an author's "readership."
In the case of LitRPG it seems pretty simple: all of its readers share an interest in RPG in any shape or form, from D&D board games to MMORPGs. But even such a narrow subgenre still has lots of little disagreements. I once asked my Disgardium readers about their priorities in LitRPG. I wanted to know which of the following they preferred:
Great worldbuilding
Detailed logs
Completing quest chains
The well-thought-out characterization of the main character
More dungeons
More unique achievements
Detailed descriptions of the loot
Skill leveling
Profession leveling
Harem
Clan conflicts and intrigue
VR's influence on the real world, and vice versa
Overcoming hardships
PvP fighting
Arenas and competitions
Detailed battles against dungeon bosses
The sheer number of opinions I received! Some believed harems had to be #1 on the list, while others demanded authors stop writing about all that lovey-dovey nonsense altogether. Some demanded detailed log entries describing the MC's every turn, while others insisted that the fewer system messages, the better. Some absolutely loved dungeon fighting or profession leveling (like Disgardium's Alex, who levels up Cooking), while yet others couldn't be bothered — all they wanted to see in a LitRPG book was clan conflicts and PvP.
Still, I have a funny feeling that Disgardium allowed me to bring all these things into balance.
Remember the question I asked at the beginning of this post? When I write, I try to keep my books' first readers in mind: my 86-year-old Gran, who is an ex-school principal; my 64-year-old father; and my children. Which is why I'll never, ever write books about selfish bastards.
Curious how that balance turned out? Start with Disgardium — or see every series in Books in Order.
→ The saga that tries to please everyone (and mostly succeeds): Disgardium.
