In this episode I continue our short series about the psychology of writing. What stories do we tell ourselves when we tell stories? I investigate the idea of expectation - the awareness of an audience out there, who will ultimately evaluate the novel you're working on. How might it impact your ability to write? How might your relationship to that putative audience shift over your career? And what kind of interventions can you make if your relationship with your imagined readers becomes unhelpful? Here are a couple of novels by authors featured on today's episode that I think you'll really like. DO YOU DREAM OF TERRA TWO? by Temi Oh: https://wordery.com/do-you-dream-of-terra-two-temi-oh-9781471171277#oid=1908_1 IN OUR MAD AND FURIOUS CITY by Guy Gunaratne: https://wordery.com/in-our-mad-and-furious-city-guy-gunaratne-9781472250216#oid=1908_1 If you'd like a free weekly writing exercise you can sign up here: http://eepurl.com/gbmfcP If you'd like to support me, it'd be ace if you picked up a copy of my novels, THE HONOURS, & the new sequel THE ICE HOUSE. THE ICE HOUSE links: Wordery: https://wordery.com/the-ice-house-tim-clare-9781786894816#oid=1908_1 Mr B’s Emporium: https://mrbsemporium.com/shop/books/the-ice-house/ Forbidden Planet: https://forbiddenplanet.com/272064-the-ice-house-hardcover/ Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1786894815/ THE HONOURS links: Wordery: https://wordery.com/the-honours-tim-clare-9781782114765#oid=1908_1 Mr B’s Emporium: https://mrbsemporium.com/shop/books/the-honours/ Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1782114769/ Ko-fi page: www.ko-fi.com/timclare