Writing is one of many forms of communication. Like listening, it requires a reader to digest the ideas provided by the words. Remember that old saying: "If a tree falls in the forest, does it make a sound if no one is there to hear it?" That could be changed to read: "If a writer writes down his or her ideas, do they exist if no one reads and interprets them?"
This concept has been the basis for my writing, and it's what turned it into a career instead of a just an avocation. Most people unfortunately learned, albeit subconsciously, that what they had to say was the most important part of the writing process. No so. It doesn't matter at all what I have to say if no one reacts to it and gives me feedback. This can come directly from the reader, or it can come indirectly when a reader buys and reads not just one of my books, but several.
Have you written something that hidden under a pile of papers in a drawer? Dig it out and read it again. Were you communicating with the reader or just yourself?
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