u/KeyDoubt2344

Forget your imagined market, don’t pimp your own heart and voice. Write first and foremost for yourself, not the market, not your readers. My favorite reads are those not written to sell. You can always tell. Don’t let your readers direct your story.
I am a writer but that is also my advice as a reader of literary fiction, historical fiction, memoir, creative nonfiction, and history. Reader-driven writing is derivative and perhaps serves as entertainment for many readers but I have found it holds few surprises or new insights or perspectives.
Then again, I may stand alone in this. I read to connect with other writers, some alive and many more long dead.
Writers, why do you write? Why do you read?