Last week we talked about finding things to write about, things that will resonate with our readers, by looking at the people around us. Today I want to share some easy steps you can take to dig deeper into this idea.
Step One
Start by looking at yourself. Yes, you. Look deep within and ask yourself the following (but give the real answer. This isn’t about looking good, even to yourself. It’s about being authentic.):
- What matters most to me?
- Who matters most to me?
- What is my deepest fear?
- What makes me angriest? Why? (And dig to the core of that answer. WHY does it anger you?)
- What brings me the deepest joy? Why?
Step Two
Consider this about your answers to:
1, 2, & 5–What does this say about me, my priorities, my faith? If the answers are troublesome, what can I do about that? If the answers are encouraging, what will keep me on track?
- What speaks real, soul-deep peace into my fear?
- What can I do about (1) the cause and (2) the anger?
Step Three
Remember the people you looked at last week, those folks around you? Well, look at them again. Look at your family and friends, your coworkers, the people you encounter in the course of a day. REALLY look at them. Don’t just see a parent who is aging or a cashier who is rude or a driver who makes you wish you had an Uzi (hmm, did I just write that out loud?). For those people you know, ask them the questions in Step One & Two. For those you don’t know personally, consider, based on what you know or see of their lives and actions, what their responses might be. Why was the teller rude? Why did that driver almost force you off the road?
Step Four
Make a list of the commonalities:
What are the issues? The concerns? The fears? The joys.
Step Five
Now that you have your overall list, dig deeper. Find the one topic/idea/struggle that resonates with you. Just because a topic is hot doesn’t mean it’s one you should write about. Find the one core idea that gets you worked up or excited, and then go from there.
But My Book is Unique!
Wow, Karen. Great post. Thanks!
Thanks, Jackie. 🙂
Karen,
I confess that the title to this post made me wonder if it was about finding the topics which were hot on the market right now, but wow…I am more that excited that you are helping us discover the core ideas that hot for us as writers. I am still chewing on this five step approach, and probably will for some time, but I love the concept.
Thank you.
Joe, that’s the beauty of doing this. You not only discover what’s burning inside you, but you DO find the topics that are hot with readers. When you understand your own answers, it helps you see what’s going on with your friends and family, your community, and the world. “Hot” topics too often cool before we can get a book written and on the market. But topics that burn inside us will last. And writing about them will change people’s understanding and their hearts.
That’s a great decision tree, and I will save it.
When I wrote “Blessed Are The Pure Of Heart”, it began with a question – what’s the story behind the roadside cross I passed every day, going to work?
Since I was too lazy to find out, I made one up. The original concept changed, based, I think, on much of what you’re written in this post.
It became a fictionalized memoir of my journey with PTSD, a ghost story, a love story, and above all a reaffirmation in my own heart that God, indeed, cares.
And it resonated with others, to the point where it’s been used to help veterans with their own return to The World.
I can’t ask for more than that.
Andrew, that’s wonderful! So happy to see that God is using you in this way.
You are so right Karen. How can we write on subjects that are not “hot” to us? My work is also for those who might go through what once were my own torments and issues to be overcome. (I know poorly edited sentence)
The scripture that comes to mind is:
2 Corinthians 1:4
Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.
Great Scripture–and topic.
Justice. Mercy. Reconciliation. Centuries long hurt and pain.
Bringing Christ to Native Americans with stories that speak their language, with love, kindness, humour and grace. But mostly, mercy and beauty for ashes.
What I pose to my readers is this:
Just because it was done in God’s name, was it done with God’s blessing?
My theme verse for my work is Micah 6:8.
Ooo, I like that question!
Thank you, Karen.
It’s actually a small part of a very, very big discussion question amongst Native Americans right now.
I love your underlying question: Just because it was done in God’s name, was it done with God’s blessing?
I was in a discussion last week with someone who was comparing the actions of ISIS with the Crusaders, and that was exactly the point he responded to!
It is one of my personal prayers that whatever I say or do or write in God’s name will be worthy of His blessing and useful for His purposes!
I would love to read your work. It would resonate here in New Mexico.
Actually, it’s interesting you mention New Mexico. My books delve into the history of the Navajo Nation, including Bosque Redondo, which was at Fort Sumner, NM, and The Long Walk, in 1864, from Arizona to New Mexico.
I’ve been trying to get to this post all day long. I’m so glad I finally had a chance to sit down and read it. I plan to work through the questions. Although, there’s a thought already in my mind that has been niggling to be explored all day long.
I’m copying and pasting this post. Thank you, Karen. You’ve got me thinking and searching…. 🙂
Some real soul work here, Karen. I feel like I need to take a personal retreat to work through these! I’m not sure I know the answers, so deep are they embedded within me. Thankfully the Holy Spirit is at work to probe and reveal, encourage and strengthen. Part of why I love being a writer is because it puts me in greater touch with God’s work in my heart and in the world around me.