: Re: Writing for a broad spectrum of readers. How do you engage the elite whilst appealing to the base? I've always struggled with this. I like to write at the top of my knowledge without leaving

@Shelley992

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There have been a wealth of anwswers (most being cliches). I feel that most are not getting the question.

Firstly, lets dismiss the theory that 'popular' = 'good'. For theory to be correct McDonalds would be the world's greatest food and Trump would be a good president.

What we're really talking about here is multi-level writing, the ability to engage the intelligent whilst entertaining the minions. Take this simple Lex Luther quote:

"Some people can read War and Peace and come away thinking it's a simple adventure story. Others can read the ingredients on a chewing gum wrapper and unlock the secrets of the universe."

So, to be a great writer you need to be able to encode the secrets of the universe into a chewing gum wrapper (you need to embed those secrets for the privileged to read it).

So, let's have a look at some very basic examples. In the movie "Die Hard II" Bruce Willis glances at the camera before saying "How can the same thing happen to the same guy twice?" The odds are it can't. Is this the actor or writer saying, "I'm talented. I've got education, skills, and qualifications. I can do pretty much anything but all you want is the same shit over and over?"

Let's take another example: "Lethal Weapon". The main characters are openly discussing the three-act plot: "We got one dead girl and one dead guy. The dead guy kills the dead girl, we kill the dead guy 'cause he wanted us to be dead guys - it's pretty easy to me." Unfortunately we are only half way through the movie - the characters conclude the plot is 'a little thin' and proceed to complicate it.

So, we're writing basic stories for basic people but for the more sophisticated we've got to write a story at two speeds.

Let's look at: "The Taking of Pelham 123". The title of the story immediately informs some members of the audience of outcome of the train hijack - it was easy (easy as 1-2-3). Now you're writing for two distinct audiences - Those who know the outcome of Acts I and II and those who don't. You're wasting your time trying suspense tactics on the smarter reader.

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