The Building Blocks of Writing
Let’s Get Started
You have an idea. A really great idea. You know everyone will love it and you can’t wait to share it with the world.
Before you start working on any writing project, there are a few building blocks to consider up front. Determining these will help you assess the viability of your idea, identify the best format for it and answer any questions that pop-up along the way.
Prior to putting pen to paper, think about these three building blocks:
Your Idea – the central point/topic/theme behind your piece
Your Audience – the main group you are speaking to
Your Drive – the motivation behind your project
Your Idea
Depending on what your ultimate goal is, start by assessing the viability of your idea. You may have one idea or several ideas. By examining them, you can find out which writing project to invest your time and energy.
How do you determine if your idea is viable? Try applying these lenses:
Universal – relates to your audience
Classic – stands the test of time
Hot Topic – captivates your audience
Fills a Niche – solves a problem
Compelling – engages the mind
Feel Good – warms the heart
Complexity – shares the perfect substance
From this, you can tell if your idea is ready for production, is not viable or simply needs a little tweaking. It’s best to find this out before writing yourself into a corner or producing something that can’t find a home.
If you are writing from a place of passion, you may be thinking – I’m going to write what I want regardless. Feeling this way is totally fine, and part of artistic freedom. But just know the ultimate goal of this process is not to limit your creativity, rather to set you up for success with your audience.
Your Audience
The second building block I always consider before starting the writing process is your audience. Your idea and your audience are the two pillars for building your entire piece. Once these have been determined, everything else falls into place.
In simple terms, writing is a form of storytelling. Think back to the most primitive form of storytelling – telling tales around the campfire. Now think about how important the audience is to the storyteller, and the way the storyteller chooses to tell the tale.
Ask yourself: who are you telling your story to?
You may know this up front, even before you know your idea, or you may identify it later. Either way, knowing who your audience is will help you determine other story elements, like style, voice and format. It will tell you if your idea and audience match, or if they need to be amended.
Try this:
Create an audience profile – identity the way your audience consumes information, the subjects they like, the tone/style/format they prefer and the platforms they’re on
Ultimately, you want your idea and audience to work together, setting you up for success. If you listen to the interplay between the two, and adapt your project accordingly, everything else will align, and you will be well on your way.
Your Drive
The last building block, and perhaps the simplest to answer, is your drive to tell your story. Have you ever heard the expression – writing is rewriting? Well, I would say, it’s way more than that. It’s ideation, research, writing, writing some more, editing, refining, adapting, scrapping, writing again, pitching, packaging, publishing, reviews, feedback, rejection and so much more.
In other words, it’s a lot of hard work. Whatever you decide to do, make sure you have the right drive and motivation behind you, because you will need it to take your project to the finish line.
In Conclusion
The most ideal scenario for any adventure is knowing your navigation points ahead of time, guiding you from start to finish. In the case of writing, these points are your idea, audience and drive. Knowing these ahead of time will set you up for success, allowing you to create a piece your audience will love.
Stay tuned for my next blog where I take a deeper dive into ideation and the audience.
Let me know your thoughts! Share your comments below.