Who and what do we write for?

I recently translated into Spanish my novella The Last Months of Violet Koski. Both versions in English and Spanish are available on Amazon. This translation was done on the request of some of my Spanish friends who couldn’t read the English version and I am happy that a few copies have reached them. I am fully aware that not many other people will read it.

This brings me to the question: who and what do we write for? In this age of aggressive marketing and AI there is little to be done to get your work known, unless you are willing to go down the tortuous road of online advertising, adopting tricks of AI on the way. At this stage of my life I don’t have the skill, will or energy to embark on this journey without (paid for) help, although I admire all the younger and not so young authors who do.

Obviously using AI has huge benefits in so many areas, but in the world of literature (and art) I have serious doubts. Reading a book allows you to enter another person’s mind. Their soul is inprinted in every page. This is the magic of the written word which can speak to you from maybe centuries ago and still move you profoundly. Unadulterated literature translates the author’s feelings, thoughts and spirit into an art form whose voice remains true throughout time. What then can an AI produced piece of writing give us? Just a souless, possibly perfect form that is dead at its core.

As I am unable to float in this tidal wave of new technology, I have finally not succumbed to the wish to give up, although I have been seriously tempted, and have decided that I will simply enjoy my little creative process when I feel the need to write and not stress about how effectively the final product is launched. If in the end what I write touches a few, then I am satisfied. If I have communicated ideas and emotions to even one person, then the magic has happened.

In 2025 I will be publishing a fictionalised memoir which reflects on my fifty years in Mallorca through a therapeutic and old-fashioned form: letters. I hope it will reach some of you. hsmith552001@yahoo.es

thewordsofheathersmith

4 responses to “Who and what do we write for?”

  1. Mary-Lynne Avatar
    Mary-Lynne

    So well said and beautifully expressed. Thank you Heather.

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    1. thewordsofheathersmith Avatar
      thewordsofheathersmith

      Thank you so much, Mary-Lynne.

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  2. Barbara Jago Avatar
    Barbara Jago

    I loved your book, and so did my sister. I hear what you say, and agree that after the trials and tribulations of actually getting a book finished and out there, one has to become part of a marketing tech world that swallows up your time and creativity. It’s that or finally break the bank by hiring a marketing company. But I do feel AI for all its obvious faults could make the marketing easier for writers in the future, as it is improving with time.

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    1. thewordsofheathersmith Avatar
      thewordsofheathersmith

      Thank you Barbara, you are very supportive! It’s true what you say about becoming part of a marketing tech, but I still look at it with suspicion, as if it is going to rob me of my freedom and peace of mind!

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