About My Audience

By Mimi (Mary Jones) 

I like writing 

Narelle asked me to tell you a little about myself. I thought the easiest way to do this is by telling you a little bit about my audience. One of my favourite mentors taught me to figure out who my audience is and to start writing to them. The thought hadn’t really occurred to me till she mentioned it. I was just writing because I liked writing. I was writing stories and making little flip books before I even went to school. My mum was the best audience any child could ever have.

Following up on the advice of my mentor, I sat down and started writing to my mentor but she was preoccupied with her own love and war novella and my love story did not resonate with her. Undeterred I decided that if I polished up my writing enough then maybe my family would like to hear what I had to say.

My nearest and dearest

I love and adore my siblings and couldn’t wait to share my newfound love with them. Unbeknownst to me, my little sister has acquired psychic abilities, or so she tells me. The reason I believe that she thinks she has gained some psychic ability is because she says that she doesn’t need to read the Good Book to know that it is filled with fairy tales.

I don’t have her ability because when I open The Word I read mainly Truth and history and parables sprinkled with a little mockery here and there. I find out about the history of our planet and the Jewish people with surrounding nations and I read about ordinary human qualities such as love and kindness as well as wars and treachery. I can see no fairy tales.

My oldest sister who has been a devout church goer for the last 25 years has been kind enough to correct this newbie whenever I quote the Holy Word about anything. Because what I haven’t learned as yet is that to some devout church goers God’s Word means to say what the denomination intends for its congregation to hear. This confuses me but I politely nod and try to figure out a way I can share the bible without having to listen to a particular denominational interpretation of it. I haven’t got that sussed yet.

My oldest brother is busy and my youngest brother’s warm brown eyes smile kindly at me when he tells me that he doesn’t understand what I’m talking about.

My much adored bible teacher makes it clear that he will be open to listen to whatever I want to share as long as I sign on the dotted line and agree to abide by the rules of his chosen denomination.

An elderly family member tells me that the bible was written by the Catholic Church and therefore we should listen to what they (The Vatican) tell us, and do as we’re told, or we’ll go to hell.

Soldiering on

I know that this is just training ground and I am busting with excitement as I refine and polish my story till it literally sparkles and pulsates with my new found love. And I am not talking just any ordinary romance here.

My story about redemption brings more joy than winning the lottery; it is literally about love, life and death. Not ordinary love but true and abiding love. And not anyone’s life and death but yours and mine including the priceless pot of gold at the end of the rainbow and the Holy Grail. How can I not share this?

There are cousins and nephews and nieces and neighbours and friends and I won’t give up. If the simple Truth doesn’t get the message across then how about a documentary, fiction, graphics, video? Anyone? Hello?

About my audience

I am wondering if I have done enough hard slog to graduate into a position or situation where I can start writing to an audience which may be receptive to my tentative first steps on cloud nine. How can I not share being head over heels? I must share the love, joy, healing, blessings, guidance and comfort I receive daily from The Word. For the sake of my children I will leave a legacy.

I am also practicing my dancing skills because my favourite teacher tells me that certain situations call for leaps of faith as well as joy.

I’d love to hear how other writers deal with finding the right audience.

Bio

Mimi has written articles for home schooling magazines on depression and bullying. She won prizes for her poems on happiness and in-laws. In her spare time she writes lyrics for the band People is Grass https://itunes.apple.com/au/album/mother-of-all-living/id356012158 and was placed as runner up and chosen as staff pick for her songs Mother of All Living https://liveforeverhowto.wordpress.com/2014/06/02/the-concept-of-living-for-ever/ and Jonah goes to Nineveh. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOjrDdImvI8 

Mimi has contributed two stories as Amelia to ‘A Life Like Mine,’ for The ‘Resource Manual on Violence Against Women with Disabilities Project http://wwda.org.au/issues/viol/viol2006/vrm2007/  

She recently completed her book titled “My Story of Survival” which can be downloaded for free from http://mosaichouse.co/products/free-e-book-a-story-of-survival.

Mimi is the founder of www.freescripturecards.com and www.mosaichouse.co and the editor of the liveforeverhowto blog https://liveforeverhowto.wordpress.com/. You can find her on FB under her pen name Mary Jones https://www.facebook.com/live4everhowto