Make Your Goal Laser-Sharp with This One Question

Why do you write?

But most importantly…

Why do you want others to read what you write?

I think many creative writers and indie authors ask themselves the first question (why do I write?) but seldom ask the second one (why do I want others to read what I write?).

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You would think that the key to your goals is in the first question. After all, YOU are the writer. You need to figure out why you’re doing what you’re doing. Writing can be a solitary art, and it becomes a me, me, me sort of activity. You want to write, so you ask yourself what fuels you.

But you have to ask yourself the second question. I mean, you don’t have to — if you plan to keep your writing to yourself, maybe in a Word document or journal somewhere. But if you want to share your writing… why?

My answer to the first question:

When I asked myself the first question, I realized that I wanted to write quality content while sharing my stories. That’s great, but there’s another person involved here– the reader. What will they get out of it?

The One Question

What will my reader get out of it?

Notice he thinks of the reader as well.

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Here’s my answer to the second question:

I want to write stories that will take people into an entertaining, emotional ride, and when they set the book down they will sigh, feeling better than they did when they picked up the book.

How does this sharpen your focus?

If you know what you want your reader to feel during the reading of your story, you will know which emotional buttons to push. For instance, “entertaining” is one of my goals, so I cut away any scenes not moving the story forward.

“Emotional ride” is another goal, so I focus less on the outside plot and focus more on the inner emotional arcs of my characters.

Last, I want my readers to “sigh” and “feel better than they did when they picked up the book.” This means that I don’t want to leave them with the heavy burden of an overly-serious topic. I just want them to have fun.

When I have writer’s block, it’s usually because I deviated from one or more of my goals! Then I correct the mistake, and the block dissipates.

Now, you.

You’re in a relationship, darling, and your dearly beloved is your reader.

When you write for them, what do you want them to feel?

When they reach the last page and set your book down, what do you want them to think?

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Of course, you can’t control people. But by keeping the reader in mind, your conscious and subconscious works overtime to ensure that your story aligns with your personal and reader goals.

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Will you ask yourself this question, or is writing a you-only affair? Let us know in the comments 🙂

Take care and write on,

YariGarciaWrites

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