Garden Party

I've been inundated with this term lately.

Is it Applebee's that is butchering the Ricky Nelson song for their advertisements? Probably. They like to do that to a lot of classics.
Rene used it to title her posts the other day.
As I was channel-surfing my radio, I caught the end of it on the oldies station.

I LOVE the song.
For those of you unacquainted with it...it's a song by Ricky Nelson that recalls the time he was invited to perform at a Garden Party. Everyone was there. Time to take a walk down memory lane and play all the old songs. But no one recognized him. He didn't look the same.
It's the chorus that strikes with me every time:
But it's all right now, I learned my lesson well.
You see, ya can't please everyone, so ya got to please yourself

Can you imagine? An icon of the fifties and sixties not fitting in? Someone whose parents embodied all that was good during that time?

You can't please everyone. You shouldn't try. It will only end in pain and disappointment for all those involved.
Writing to the market is a discussion had by everyone at one point in time. But you shouldn't. Because the market changes. It's a wily beast. Prone to fits and starts. Flooding. And it cares not who it helps or hurts. Because it doesn't feel. It just is.
As for those of us who write something a little different, *ahem*, I'm quite sure we're not appealing to our conservative friends and family. *shrug*

I learned long ago that I can't please everyone. Hell, I'd be fortunate enough to please half a dozen at one time. But I'll well with it.
Don't question your call to write what you write. Simply make your work the best you can make it.
A good book will find a home.
Humming*