The sun set turns the sky a spectacular array of red and orange, scarlet and yellow, blue and gray. It’s a glimpse into paradise’s window, the reason we are writers. It’s a reward for our perseverance, but only a taste of of what we could attain, and within it the inspiration needed to attain it. For the short amount of time it takes the sun to sink the last few inches into the sea, we have all the answers to all the questions we ever wanted to know. There’s a spirit inside us that makes us invincible. For that short amount of time, we are kings of our domain. No one can take it from us. The dark force doesn’t exist.
The sun finally disappears. Dusk transitions to night. The air turns cold while the moon has yet to rise. It amazes us how the strength of light feeds the insecurity of darkness. The dark force reminds us that it does exist by showing us how quickly such a feeling of invincibility can be transformed to a weapon it can use against us. And yet it is in these moments of transition when the highs are at their peak and the lows seem like canyons in the deepest sea that we fall back on the one thing that never changes. It is in these fractions of time between sunset and nightfall that the true voices that cry for us to do what we do so well sing us the songs of motivation. We are writer’s. We write to be heard. The fact that the dark force has even taken notice means that we are on the right path. Now, it’s time to go farther. We are writer’s. We wright to be heard… by Everyone.
Writing is about communicating. Whether it’s fact or fiction, your objective as a writer is to convey information to your reader. The point of this information is to stimulate a reaction. The more reaction you are able to simulate, the more you will bring your reader into the place you want them to be. Once you have them there, you will be able to convey whatever message you want them to take away from your writing. The term for this is influence, and it’s a huge responsibility not to be taken lightly. Comic books refer to it as mind control. Literature classifies it as the written word. In nature, it’s the single voice that starts the stampede. History labels it as power. You call it your heart.
Communication is the most essential element to any social structure. It creates and destroys relationships every minute of every day. It is the variable in every facet of our lives from economics to politics that has the most direct affect on the outcome. It is what will determine whether you are heard or ignored. In order to achieve the level of communication necessary to be a good writer, you must be willing to sacrifice your heart for the benefit of your reader. It is the words from the heart that have the most dramatic affect. These words flow off the pages like a river running wild and can be plucked by even the most immature of readers. Human beings communicate through emotion. Writing is about emotion. Your heart is a bottle of emotion waiting to be released. Releasing it is how to be heard.
It comes with a price as everything does. In this case, vulnerability is the cost. Opening your heart leaves you vulnerable to countless attacks by the dark force and its allies. However, there is a way to combat even the feeling of being vulnerable. Being heard is not just about telling; it’s equally as much about listening. Listening to who, you ask? Everyone!
Your heart is a wealth of information, but it didn’t get there on its own. The information is the result of years of successes and failures that made you who you are. It’s a collection of all that has influenced you to become what you have become and now intend to pass on to others. It isn’t a bottomless barrel, though. It needs to be replenished constantly. The way to replenish it is by listening.
Everyone has a story to tell. Not everyone is a writer. They rely on you to tell their stories. Never pass up the opportunity to hear someone’s story. You never know what doors may be opened. It is hypocritical to expect a person to read your work if you aren’t willing to listen to them. You will quickly find that the most enjoyable part of being a writer is interacting with your readers. Not only is it good for publicity reasons, but it is essential for new ideas. Your readers are what made you a writer. They are also what keeps you a writer. Showing them respect by listening to them will earn their respect, and they’ll listen to you.
Listen to be heard. Public appearances are the best way to interact with your readers. It’s easy to subscribe to the notion that a public appearance isn’t a success unless you sell a certain number of books. That is the way the dark force wants you to think. Taking a step back to our theory on success “being more than monetary” begs to differ. The truth is that people buy books because of the author, not for the author.
If you are an author who writes from the heart, then your writing likely contains a good amount of insight into who you are as a person. If readers have a good feeling as to who you are as a person, that the information you are communicating is genuine, they will probably buy your book. The only way to get this information out is to interact. You have to find a way to spill it. No blurb or book cover will be able to deliver your message the way you can deliver it from your lips to their ears. In this modern age, public appearances can be made just as easy through interactive television, radio, or the internet as through a book signing, but there is no substitute for the personal touch a book signing brings to the table. Listen to your readers and they will hear you for it.
There is only one reason you write; it is to cause a reaction. Perhaps you want to make your readers cry or make them mad. Regardless of the reason, the only chance you have of getting the emotions out of them is to take those very emotions from your own heart and put them into the story. In other words, don’t write a romance if you’re not a romantic. The philosophy of “garbage in equals garbage out” could never be more true. A book is meant to transport a reader to another place. Only you know where that place is and how to get their. You have complete control. With control comes responsibility. Your reader trusts you to guide them on their journey much the same as you trust me on this journey across the sea. Your responsibility is to not let them down.
Listening to be heard helps you to know your reader’s interests and personalities. It helps with marketing, publicizing, and sales. Most important, it helps you in your writing. You don’t write a speech about heart transplants for a lecture on physics. When reading a child a bedtime story, you read the ones that appeal to them. It’s much easier to write that romance if you understand the hearts of romantics. Know your audience ahead of time. Then write with that audience in mind. An amazing connection will soon develop between your heart and theirs. You write for the reader, not because of the reader.
The responsibility for not letting your readers down falls squarely on your shoulders. You must write a complete book. That may sound ridiculous, but the fact of the matter is that many books start out with a bang and end with a bump. To truly connect with your desired audience, it’s extremely important to maintain your passion throughout the book. You had a reason for starting. Make sure the reader knows and feels it when they read the last page. Remember, they chose you to lead them on their journey. There is nothing more disappointing to a reader than to be abandoned by their author in a foreign world. Know your audience. Understand their heats. Write for them. Listen to them. They will hear you. And they will love you.
The written word is said to be knowledge. Knowledge is said to be power. The written word is the most powerful weapon mankind has ever invented. Over the centuries, it has been used time and time again for good and evil. From social values began by religious doctrines in cultural bibles to the suppression that became the dark ages to the cultural renaissance all the way to the age of technology, it has been the written word that led the way. Would Hitler have ever gained power without the written word? Would America ever have been inspired enough to go to the moon?
The writer has more influence over the way the world revolves than anyone. It is the writer that will determine where we go next as a people and as a planet. It is a heavy burden, but one that should be looked upon with honor. Though writing can be lonely, the writer is never lonely. All a writer has to do is listen to the voices during that fraction of time between dusk and nightfall. They sing the songs that unlock the mystery that is the human heart. Their songs are the writer’s guide so the writer in turn can provide them with more reasons to sing. All the writer has to do is listen, and the writer will be heard.
Our ship sails off into the night with the songs of our readers leading us through the darkness.
Tags: communicating through writing, listen and be heard, listen to your readers, the written word is power, write to cause a reaction, writers have a responsibility to their readers, writing for the reader, Writing from the heart
