Is experimenting with form enough?

by Sarah and Matt

In an ideal world, the ideas of freedom of expression and form in writing are achievable.

In reality, writing with freedom of expression and form and experimentation is not always practical. For example, if you are experimenting with these types of writing on your own personal time, the demands of making a living, having a job, bills to pay, etc.. can constrain how much you are actually able to achieve in your writing. Even if you are a professional writer, you need to think about not only your audience (whether or not they will understand what you are trying to say), but you also need to consider the demands of the profession: publishers have deadlines and guidelines and they want to make money off of what you write. If, as a writer, your works target an audience that is too specific or limited, your publisher might not keep you around for very long. There are certain expectations that not only editors and publishers have, but also the average reader. They are used to seeing things in the same form over and over again and have become comfortable and secure in seeing these similar styles over and over. The audience is the people of the Oprah book club. Have they ever read anything experimental. Everything mainstream has guidelines. and everything experimental is pushed to the side and looked at as crazy and bizarre.