Imagine walking into a room full of hundreds of people. It’s the party of the year, and a chance to meet others in and outside your regular circle of friends.
Upon walking around the room, it becomes noticeable that people are talking at one another vs. to each other. Each person only talks about his/her story and perspective; without taking a moment to engage the others nearby. They are doing the same in return.
As we all know, one of the best ways to have an engaging conversation is to be able to talk to one another – to be able to emphasize and share in the overall experience of whatever stories or topics are being discussed. Anything outside of this becomes a one-sided conversation.
Roll this virtual experience into the process of writing. As Dara Beevas stated in THE INDIE AUTHOR REVOLUTION, “Readers want to be talked to, not talked at. . .“ It doesn’t matter if a book is fiction or nonfiction, prescriptive or memoir-like, serious or funny; it is more essential readers stay engaged, that they find a commonality and a fresh perspective within the meat of any story.
For anyone who aspires to be published, I highly recommend a short time working in a bookstore, publishing house, or any other book-related field. Not only will this provide a bird’s eye view of how readers choose their books (as well as editors), but also successful narratives that moved from the “me” to “we” approach of storytelling.
The most appreciated and the most successful writers are able to juggle the task of introducing new perspectives and new ideas, while meeting readers at the levels they desire. This takes many years of writing, rewriting, and patience to reach such a goal, but it’s totally worth it. In the end, readers will appreciate it, and fingers crossed there will be a few books under the belt.
