Writers, Make Sure to Ask the So What?
Quick writing tip to write for the reader, not for your mom
When it comes down to it all, the most important part of anything you write is that someone reads it — and your mom or family member(s) don’t really count here — and gets something out of it. (Unless it is your diary; the most important part of that writing is that no one reads it, or just your therapist.)
Readers only care about what your book gets them. Did they learn something new? Did they get to escape for a while? Has it provided them with a new perspective?
When you’ve written a story or a chapter, sit back and ask yourself a simple question, “So what?” Does your content answer that question? Because it should.
Think of your book content like Chinese takeout with multiple entrees. The reader dives in and eats a little bit of that and a little bit of this and figures out which dish is the best, which is good, and which they could take or leave next time. They end the meal feeling satisfied, but have already begun to forget what they ate. And then out come the fortune cookies. Even if you don’t eat them, you still crack one open to see what nugget of wisdom (or poor grammar) is going to be shared with you on that tiny scrap of paper.
That message in the fortune cookie is the ‘so what’ of your book. They walk away…
