All we really need is an audience of … One

The modern writer’s world is a complex formula.  Read books, go to seminars, listen to agents and literary experts and you’ll hear all about “platform.” You see, you’ll never get a book deal unless you have an audience – a group of people who presumably cling to your every word and purchase your work. There are lots of writers out there building up Facebook and Twitter audiences, networking like a virtual cocktail party.


We are all scared that no one cares.

Whether you’re a painter, a preacher, a blogger, a sculpter or an inventor, we’re all joined at the hip as we dive into the mysterious waters of notoriety.  Secretly, we  hope for the synergy and massive audience that will put our work in demand. But the truth is that most of us will never achieve any kind of critical mass. We’ll just plod on in anonymity. Am I fine with that? 

I interact with many writers at all skill levels. As in any art, the talent runs the gamat. There are some skilled craftsman who have the ability to tap into our minds and hearts with their words. They have a message that needs to be heard.

And there are others who are just writing because they have a desire to say something. Their skill is not exceptional, but they have heart and desire.  It does their soul good and there’s a place for that. 

Few writers will ever see their name in print. My advice to them? Just write. It doesn’t matter if you are never discovered, never published, and never lauded in magazines. It doesn’t matter as long as you are writing to the right audience. And that audience might be limited to your friends or family. That audience might just be you. Or it might be God.

Let’s be honest. The artist lives for the applause. The painter wants people to tilt their head and ooh and awe over the lines and the shadows. The writer wants to engage readers in emotion and response. The singer looks for the roar of emotion at the end of the song.

All of these things feed the ego, which does serve a purpose. It’s the ego that keeps us going, that motivates and moves us. It gives us confidence. We want to make a difference and we will never know unless we hear something, anything.  Am I any good at this? Am I effective? 

Photo by Karenee Art, by permission

I wonder if we should just chuck the whole ‘social engagement’ thing. Wouldn’t it be easier just to have an audience of One?

If I write for the admiration of the reader, then I will be motivated to tickle their ears and win their admiration. But if write for Him, then I’ll be free in my spirit.

If I write strictly for the hoi polloi, then I’ll be possessed with likeability, friends and popularity.

But if I write for Him, I’ll listen, learn and put words to the song in my heart.  

“If no one else listens, that’s fine,” I say in my low-keyed-holy-sounding voice.  But, is it possible? Can I be freed of the shackles of praise, the false premise of cyber- friends, the laudatory words of strangers? Can I just write because the words ring true in my heart, breathed by His Spirit, and spoken by a broken man? 

While I want people to read me and I always am flattered and honored with words of praise, I hope that when it all boils down to it, I’m writing for the right reason.  That gives me boldness. That gives me confidence.

Is it possible to write, or dance, or work, or sing, or labor, or preach for an audience of One? Or do you need something more? What do you honestly think?


For more posts on the call to boldness and confidence, please visit Bonnie Gray’s Faith Barista.

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