Why Are You Writing Your Book? What Is Your Take Away?

There are so many times when I have started reading a book, and simply put it down and asked a simple one word question - "Why?" No, it was not, "Why on earth did this author think this story was a good idea?" although yes, that has crossed my mind a lot. It is more of "Why am I reading this?" Or, maybe the better question is, "What is the big take-away?"

This is a concept a lot of business people use in meetings or when looking at proposals. What do you want me to take away from this concept? As I walk out of the room, or leave this Zoom call, what do you want me to leave with? 

The same can be said with a book. It doesn't matter if it is to be a humorous book or a serious book. It can be a romance or a thriller. An author needs to have something that is going to guide the reader through the story. No, just simply saying you want them to have fun is not it. We are talking about a hidden message that maybe only the author is aware of. It doesn't even have to be stated.

Over the weekend, I was reading a book that was pretty well written. Now, when I say pretty well written, I am not saying it was blow my socks off written. I was there reading it and I kept flipping the pages so something was going well. Characters were fine. Writing was fine. Plot was Ok. (I haven't finished it yet so I will have to let you know later). At this point, I'm giving it a B-ish grade???? (maybe????) Yes, I know there are a ton of question marks but it is early.

And......

I am stuck with that single question of the big WHY?

I think there MIGHT be a why in the story, but I am not sure. Because I am a literature major I can pretty much create a theme in almost anything so I have to be cautious when I am in a situation like this. It is the responsibility of the author. 

This "take away" by the way, is really what builds your "high concept" of your story. And no, you cannot make this up after you have written your story, which is why I am sitting here with this book struggling with wondering if I am trying to force that take away and why on a book that doesn't have one.

So, why do you need it? This why gives your story meaning. It gives yours story purpose. The why gives every action and every scene in the story a reason for existence. For most writers, you are just putting things in your story to move to the next scene or to add word count. That creates a lifeless story, and yes, to rejections.

Your homework? Do you have a why?

Don't Try To Write For Everyone!

You Can't Please Everyone!

OK, we all want to try and do this, but the reality is, it is completely impossible to please everyone out there. This is especially true when it comes to writing. You have heard me say this here, but writing and publishing is completely subjective. You know this even if you as writers often want to deny it when you submit stories to editors and agents. 

Think about it. When you have a friend hand you a book they totally loved and you start reading it and start questioning your friendship because of this book. What on earth were they thinking. This book is complete garbage. That, my friends is the subjectivity I am talking about. 

So, with that said, when you are writing your novel, quit trying to please everyone. Focus on YOUR audience. Yes, this does mean you need to do some market analysis and know who your market is, but that is who you have to focus on. It is that simple. This means, if you are an Inspirational Romance author then focus on that group. I don't care if what is hot right now in other genres might be dark romance, or romantic comedies, or even romantasy, stick to what YOUR group wants to hear. Don't leave your lane!

Another way I see people trying to do this is when they think "cross genre writing" will take care of everything. The issue here is you are not going to bring in people, you will actually drive off your readers. You can't say "My book is a historical, romance with a science fiction/fantasy feel that is part erotica but also will speak to those looking for a Christian message." Ummm, excuse me? Not going to happen. All you have here is a huge mess.

The same goes for your marketing of your books. You need to only focus on marketing in a way that your people will respond to. You should also only spend your effort marketing on platforms that they will be seeing your message. Consider this. If your audience is primarily an older audience, do you really think they will be learning the latest dance on TikTok? Probably not, so why would you be out there filming reels? This is a waste!

Just stick to one area and focus. You might be surprised at the success you will see!

How Fast Should You Complete Revisions For Editors and Agents

Let's talk about something that all writers would love to have happen. You received in your email inbox the following message:

Dear Author,

There are a lot of things about your story that work. At this time, I am passing on your project, however, if you wish to make some changes to it, please feel free to resubmit. 

At that point, they even tell you the things that they liked, and more importantly, the things that they would love to see changed. They even told you to take as much as time as you needed. There is no rush.

Woo hoo! Time to celebrate!

But the real question here is, how much time should you take to get those revisions finished? Well, you came to the right place. My answer? 

AS FAST AS YOU CAN!!!!

Consider this. You are still fresh in that editor or agent's head. They are still getting a ton of manuscripts coming in. They are editing and working with all of their own clients, BUT, you still have the chance that they still will remember you and they will still likely remember what they told you to do. So take advantage of it. 

Secondly, you are also showing them how fast and how expertly you can take their advice and turn it into the project that they wanted to see. In the world of publishing, it is a hurry up and wait business. You will be asked to get those revisions back quickly when you do get that elusive contract so why not prove it to them now. 

Finally, remember that the market changes constantly. They are asking for something because it is what they want NOW. If you wait too long, it might not be what they want later. By the time you get around to getting that project in because you "too your time" someone else may have swooped in and taken that slot. 

All of my authors know this. When their editors ask for revisions, or even when they have any deadline, they always push to get that project in BEFORE the deadline. Doing so gives the editor a little breathing room on their end. Right now, I have a client who we have a proposal out to a couple of editors. Two responded with the same type of email we started with. The cool thing is that both came back with the same suggestion for fixing the problem. Are we rushing to make those changes? You better believe it!!!! The author is working like crazy and I am working hard to make sure the editors are still remembering all of the cool things they liked about her writing. 

Oh, and by the way... the same goes with when you send in a query and get a request, or when you pitch at a conference and get a request. DON'T WAIT! Get it to them ASAP!!!!!

Who Are Your Critique Partners?

Writers always need a second set of eyes. As you write your stories, you will often get into a rut and only see things one way. Of course your story is perfect. You wrote it! You love it! That is to say until an editor or agent sees it and sends you that wonderful rejection letter (if you are lucky they didn't ghost you). So what do you do? You go out and get a critique group together. Your goal as a group is to work together to craft the best damn books ever!

Sounds like a great plan, right? 

You might want to stop for a minute and think before you leap. You see, critique groups are only as good as the members in the group. 

What I have seen, unfortunately, is that many of these critique groups are often nothing more than "the blind leading the blind." In other words, if none of you really understand the craft of writing, or you have people in your group who believe they know everything (but really know nothing), you are just giving each other bad advice.

Don't get me wrong, we need these groups. We need people who are there to motivate us and keep us writing. BUT, if we are looking for advice to make our stories better, we need to always ask if this person we are talking to really knows "their stuff."

I will also add, I see this same thing happening at many conferences lately. Coordinators go out and get people to lead workshops because the proposals sound amazing. What they forget to look at is whether or not these people are really going to give the participants GOOD advice that will advance their careers and their writing, or are they leading them into a brick wall?

As you look to form your groups or to find those critique partners, look for someone who has shown signs of quality success. Don't just listen to what they tell you. Look essentially at their resume. Do they really know what they are talking about? If not, you can always keep them around as the motivators in your writing life, but be cautious of the advice they give to you. It might not be what you need!