--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I reach readers rather unintentionally, I…" description: "\"I reach readers rather unintentionally, I think, and those readers likely connect with the slant, the off-kilter, the part of the road you can barely s..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a4/dawn-lundy-martin-32648_audience_i-reach-readers-rather-unintentionally-i_1482316.jpg" --- # I reach readers rather unintentionally, I think, and those… ![“I reach readers rather unintentionally, I think, and those readers likely connect with the slant, the off-kilter, the part of the road you can barely see from the well-traveled road. So, when I'm writing, I'm not thinking about audience at all. Instead, I'm trying to see behind those shrubs, down…” quote by Dawn Lundy Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a4/dawn-lundy-martin-32648_audience_i-reach-readers-rather-unintentionally-i_1482316.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a4/dawn-lundy-martin-32648_audience_i-reach-readers-rather-unintentionally-i_1482316.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a4/dawn-lundy-martin-32648_audience_i-reach-readers-rather-unintentionally-i_1482316.jpg) > “I reach readers rather unintentionally, I think, and those readers likely connect with the slant, the off-kilter, the part of the road you can barely see from the well-traveled road. So, when I'm writing, I'm not thinking about audience at all. Instead, I'm trying to see behind those shrubs, down that hidden path. We're the weirdos of the world and there are so many weirdos.” [Dawn Lundy Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-lundy-martin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She writes for the hidden, unconventional audience, valuing authenticity over mainstream appeal. **In simple terms:** She writes for the odd and unseen. Key Takeaway Embrace authenticity, not audience approval. Themes creativity authenticity outsiders visibility artistic integrity Mood introspective inspirational defiant Type literary motivational When to use this quote - writing - public speaking - community building - social activism - media Key Concepts hidden narratives subversive voice counter‑culture self‑expression Questions to Reflect On - Who are the hidden voices you hear? - How can you amplify them without losing self? A Different Perspective Focusing on the fringe may limit broader impact. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Audience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Path](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/path/) [Path Weirdos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/path-weirdos-5404490/) [Reach Readers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reach-readers-4270359/) [Readers Unintentionally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/readers-unintentionally-5404491/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Thinking Audience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking-audience-885815/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) [Weirdo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weirdo/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [World Weirdos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-weirdos-5404492/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“Books make their greatest mark when they reach readers in their growing years. The young look everywhere for that ground of truth on which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-meltzer/books-make-their-greatest-mark-when-they-reach-readers-in-their/) [Milton Meltzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-meltzer/) > [A writer should say to himself, not, How can I get more money?, but How can I reach more readers (without lowering standards)?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-aldiss/a-writer-should-say-to-himself-not-how-can-i-get-more-money-but-how/) [Brian Aldiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-aldiss/) > [I reach my readers regardless of what the critics have written](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irwin-shaw/i-reach-my-readers-regardless-of-what-the-critics-have-written/) [Irwin Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irwin-shaw/) > [I think about all these influences and musical cultures, then the opinion of the audience is of course important, but when I'm working on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rokia-traore/i-think-about-all-these-influences-and-musical-cultures-then-the/) [Rokia Traore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rokia-traore/) > [Stop thinking about the audience and what they may be thinking of your music. Just play the music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-toshio-sudo/stop-thinking-about-the-audience-and-what-they-may-be-thinking-of/) [Philip Toshio Sudo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-toshio-sudo/) > [When you're making the record, you're not thinking about an audience, but you still need them and you want them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-taylor/when-you-re-making-the-record-you-re-not-thinking-about-an-audience/) [Alexis Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-taylor/) > [Rules limit you, and once you start thinking about what the audience wants or expects, it becomes a trap that a lot of artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jpegmafia/rules-limit-you-and-once-you-start-thinking-about-what-the-audience/) [JPEGMAFIA](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jpegmafia/) > [I've spent a lot of time thinking about what the audience would want. That's my job, is to anticipate ahead of the audience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-ryan/i-ve-spent-a-lot-of-time-thinking-about-what-the-audience-would-want/) [Shawn Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-ryan/) > [I'm definitely guilty of thinking something is funny but thinking the audience won't. Then three years later I will finally try it and it'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-white/i-m-definitely-guilty-of-thinking-something-is-funny-but-thinking-the/) [Ron White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-white/) > [We read novels. We read hundreds of pages of words, when the story is good because we're willing to stay there. I hope the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veena-sud/we-read-novels-we-read-hundreds-of-pages-of-words-when-the-story-is/) [Veena Sud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veena-sud/) > [Frankly, I'm mainly telling the story to myself. Thinking about audience is too daunting, and worst case, invites you to homogenize, to soften the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/frankly-i-m-mainly-telling-the-story-to-myself-thinking-about/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's impossible for me to play a part without thinking about the audience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-walken/it-s-impossible-for-me-to-play-a-part-without-thinking-about-the/) [Christopher Walken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-walken/) > [When I'm performing, I'm not even thinking about the song. I'm thinking about the audience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-smith/when-i-m-performing-i-m-not-even-thinking-about-the-song-i-m-thinking/) [Sam Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-smith/) > [When I retweet a troll, I'm not thinking of the troll, I'm thinking of the audience: how can I make them laugh with me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-baddiel/when-i-retweet-a-troll-i-m-not-thinking-of-the-troll-i-m-thinking-of/) [David Baddiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-baddiel/) > [One of the things I would like to do is make up stories that I would have enjoyed when I was a kid. So,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-groening/one-of-the-things-i-would-like-to-do-is-make-up-stories-that-i-would/) [Matt Groening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-groening/) ## More by Dawn Lundy Martin > [I often feel trapped. I often feel like I'm trying to escape some trap, be it a way of thinking, a compulsion, or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-lundy-martin/i-often-feel-trapped-i-often-feel-like-i-m-trying-to-escape-some-trap/) [Dawn Lundy Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-lundy-martin/) > [ “\[I wanted silence in the flowers, not to not say, but to not have the impulse of saying.\]” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-lundy-martin/i-wanted-silence-in-the-flowers-not-to-not-say-but-to-not-have-the/) [Dawn Lundy Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-lundy-martin/) > [I think the occupation of my poetry is akin to this desire to be many things at once - things that sometimes conflict. Regarding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-lundy-martin/i-think-the-occupation-of-my-poetry-is-akin-to-this-desire-to-be-many/) [Dawn Lundy Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-lundy-martin/) > [I'm interested is the oblique as a concept deeply connected to human lived experience, not separate from it. I was listening to an interview…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-lundy-martin/i-m-interested-is-the-oblique-as-a-concept-deeply-connected-to-human/) [Dawn Lundy Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-lundy-martin/) > [With my students I give them lots and lots of guided writing. Part of it is as simple as writing a lot but not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-lundy-martin/with-my-students-i-give-them-lots-and-lots-of-guided-writing-part-of/) [Dawn Lundy Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-lundy-martin/) > [The precise laziness is akin to letting your eyes blur or glimpsing what's at the corners in peripheral vision. Or those moments when you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-lundy-martin/the-precise-laziness-is-akin-to-letting-your-eyes-blur-or-glimpsing/) [Dawn Lundy Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-lundy-martin/) > [At the Third Wave Foundation, we were asking questions like, "How can we get more voters registered who support our issues?" or "How do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-lundy-martin/at-the-third-wave-foundation-we-were-asking-questions-like-how-can-we/) [Dawn Lundy Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-lundy-martin/) > [I once asked Myung Mi Kim where gender is located in her work, and she said simply, "it's everywhere," resisting the notion that gender…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-lundy-martin/i-once-asked-myung-mi-kim-where-gender-is-located-in-her-work-and-she/) [Dawn Lundy Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-lundy-martin/) > [My goals as an artist have nothing to do with speaking to an audience. I love to have a good time, but when it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-lundy-martin/my-goals-as-an-artist-have-nothing-to-do-with-speaking-to-an-audience/) [Dawn Lundy Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-lundy-martin/) > [Can poetry be a form of social change? I don't know the answer to that. I do think art can have a social impact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-lundy-martin/can-poetry-be-a-form-of-social-change-i-don-t-know-the-answer-to-that/) [Dawn Lundy Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-lundy-martin/) > [When I am writing poetry, I try to make my mind go a little lazy, to not think too much, as a way of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-lundy-martin/when-i-am-writing-poetry-i-try-to-make-my-mind-go-a-little-lazy-to/) [Dawn Lundy Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-lundy-martin/) > [I've long been a fan of Adrian Piper's work. I find her performance pieces moving in their willingness to lean toward the absurd. Yet,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-lundy-martin/i-ve-long-been-a-fan-of-adrian-piper-s-work-i-find-her-performance/) [Dawn Lundy Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-lundy-martin/) > [When my work does speak to audiences, when it creates audiences around it, I feel a little less crazy because what that means is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-lundy-martin/when-my-work-does-speak-to-audiences-when-it-creates-audiences-around/) [Dawn Lundy Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-lundy-martin/) > [For me, a lot of Discipline was very personal writing, like writing through and working out being inside this gendered body and also the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-lundy-martin/for-me-a-lot-of-discipline-was-very-personal-writing-like-writing/) [Dawn Lundy Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-lundy-martin/) [Explore all 15 Dawn Lundy Martin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-lundy-martin/) ## More Audience quotes > [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/) [Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/) > [It's those moments, those odd moments that you look for and sometimes by creating this kind of loose atmosphere you find those little moments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-levinson/it-s-those-moments-those-odd-moments-that-you-look-for-and-sometimes/) [Barry Levinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-levinson/) > [I can skate beautifully. While performing on ice I always try to please the audience and to win as well. Being artistic is very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeni-plushenko/i-can-skate-beautifully-while-performing-on-ice-i-always-try-to/) [Evgeni Plushenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeni-plushenko/) > [One of the best moments of any Liars show is hearing the crowd squawk 'We're doomed! We're doomed!' on cue during 'We Fenced Other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-sheffield/one-of-the-best-moments-of-any-liars-show-is-hearing-the-crowd-squawk/) [Rob Sheffield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-sheffield/) > [It's the adrenaline rush you only get from being in front of an audience. It's addictive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raphael-saadiq/it-s-the-adrenaline-rush-you-only-get-from-being-in-front-of-an/) [Raphael Saadiq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael-saadiq/) > [If I had to speak in front of a Korean audience, I would be hard pressed to sound other than a little girl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/an-na/if-i-had-to-speak-in-front-of-a-korean-audience-i-would-be-hard/) [An Na](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/an-na/) > [The liveness of theater, and the excitement of experiencing it alongside an audience, is something you can't get at home. That makes the theater…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-blaemire/the-liveness-of-theater-and-the-excitement-of-experiencing-it/) [Nick Blaemire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-blaemire/) > [One of the things that touches me most when I play for an audience is that although we may be unable to communicate in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hough/one-of-the-things-that-touches-me-most-when-i-play-for-an-audience-is/) [Stephen Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hough/) > [I have to feel the audience. I enjoy that feeling of community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-gahan/i-have-to-feel-the-audience-i-enjoy-that-feeling-of-community/) [Dave Gahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-gahan/) > [When you lived it for years and years and years and seen different characters just get pummeled and squashed because 'I said so,' it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arn-anderson/when-you-lived-it-for-years-and-years-and-years-and-seen-different/) [Arn Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arn-anderson/) > [“During the first few minutes of your presentation, your job is to assure the audience members that you are not going to waste their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-ludwig-and-greg-owen-boger/during-the-first-few-minutes-of-your-presentation-your-job-is-to/) [Dale Ludwig and Greg Owen-Boger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-ludwig-and-greg-owen-boger/) > [Donald Trump is a different ball of wax. I've been trying to say for I don't know how many months now that the traditional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/donald-trump-is-a-different-ball-of-wax-i-ve-been-trying-to-say-for-i/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [I don't think about who the audience is for my books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-k-rowling-2/i-don-t-think-about-who-the-audience-is-for-my-books/) [J. K. Rowling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-k-rowling-2/) > [I feel I have been playing all primary characters. And if your character forms a connect with the audience, it doesn't matter if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angad-bedi/i-feel-i-have-been-playing-all-primary-characters-and-if-your/) [Angad Bedi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angad-bedi/) > [When I was playing piano, it was like, 'I'm going to write a song using all the white keys.' My music director, who knew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-tesh/when-i-was-playing-piano-it-was-like-i-m-going-to-write-a-song-using/) [John Tesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-tesh/) [Browse all 9,118 Audience quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I reach readers rather unintentionally, I think, and those readers likely connect with the slant, the off-kilter, the part of the road you can barely see from the well-traveled road. So, when I'm writing, I'm not thinking about audience at all. Instead, I'm trying to see behind those shrubs, down that hidden path. 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