Writing a book is really difficult. It takes heart, energy, and lots of time. It’s a process of personal creation that often takes deep courage to invite critique into, even when we know it’s necessary. Often, when we’re in the throes of a low moment of self doubt—whether it’s because of a plot hole, difficult feedback, or rejection—we can find ourselves wondering: Why am I even doing this?

There’s a reason we start with ‘why’ in all of our coaching and story development resources.

Knowing YOUR answer to “Why am I writing this?” can be the difference between persevering and giving up.

I spoke with a Tenacious Writing member recently who just started the program’s plotting course, From Idea to Outline. She said that one module in, she was sobbing. Our intention is never to make writers cry! But this writer was struggling with whether or not to table a project she’d hit a huge block with, and something powerful happened when we confronted her with this question: Why this book? She remembered why she was showing up.

There are a lot of reasons why you might be writing. Often, I find the reasons fall into three categories: message, experience, and exploration.

Writers usually write because we have something to SAY.

Through our characters and their journeys of change, we have something we want to teach a specific kind of child, or something we want to show adults like us who are struggling with a specific kind of issue. This is why at the heart of our writing, it’s the foundation upon which all the parts of your story are built.

Remember, it is okay to take a stand with your story. In fact, the stories with the most powerful messages are the ones that stick with us the most. As the takeaway of your story, the story point is the main lesson or thematic statement which your characters (and therefore your readers) will ultimately learn. It’s a specific message about how the world works that you as the author believe and want other people to know.

When one of my 1:1 book coaching clients was working on her Story Point, she had a very clear idea of what she did not want to say. She did not want to create any blanket statements or “easy answer” lessons that wouldn’t apply to real life or her ideal reader’s experience in the world. She also had a very strong idea of who her ideal reader was and what they needed to know about the world. But she was struggling with coming up with what her point should be.

As we dove into her thoughts during our weekly coaching call, it was clear that she knew, instinctively, what was in her heart yet she couldn’t quite speak it aloud. So I coached her to take a stand, to get to the heart of what her ideal reader needed to learn, and to claim it. To be upfront and unapologetic with the realities of the world, but also with her message of hope.

So if you’ve been struggling with creating a story point that feels right, I encourage you to take a stand with your message.

Here’s where you can start:

👉🏻 What do YOU believe about the world?

👉🏻 What do you want to tell your ideal reader? How do you want to make their life better?

👉🏻 How do you want your ideal reader to feel once they’ve finished your book?

👉🏻 What’s the message you wish you could tell your reader, but are afraid of saying?

Be unapologetic and unafraid of what you really want to say. Be truthful to your heart and what you know your ideal reader needs to hear.

Your Story Point is powerful, but it’s also not the only reason to write.

Some books are developed with the specific intention of giving a reader an EXPERIENCE.

Think about COVID. What comfort reads did you turn to? What TV shows did you rewatch to keep yourself sane? Sometimes art is important solely because of the escape and comfort it can provide. This is something that should never be minimized. You don’t need a world-changing message to make a difference in someone’s life with your story. You can write because you want to entertain, comfort, and inspire.

I want to make something clear. You don’t need to have some profound answer to why you’re writing this book. You don’t need to prove that your book is “meaningful” in order to exist. Our books probably aren’t going to change THE world, but it’ll change OUR world—and that matters because we matter.

I’m not writing The Shadows Syndicate series to change the world, but to make my readers happy and to make ME happy. And that’s enough.

Lastly, sometimes we write for US.

Often stories are important to get off of our hearts because we need to explore the issues and challenges we’re facing in real life. In these moments, we write to create a happy ending, a catharsis, an arc of change, or simply an escape, for a character in order to create that shift for ourselves. This ‘reason’ to write has nothing to do with our readers, and yet is every bit as important.

The writer I spoke with about her plotting process had such an emotional reaction to the question “Why this book?” because in answering it she realized that she’d first started her story as an escape from a difficult time in her life. Then during the process of writing it, the story morphed into an exploration (through her characters) of what she needed to learn during that difficult time. Then finally, on the other side of that difficult time, her story became a message she wanted to share with others experiencing the same challenges.

All of her whys were deeply important. All of them made her writing worthy—to her, and therefore the world.

Think about why you’re putting in the time and effort to write this book.

Do you have something important to say?

Do you have someone important to say it to?

Do you write because you need to?

It’s okay if at first your only answer is “I want to publish a book.” Sometimes that can be a very strong fuel on its own. But go deeper. There’s a reason you chose this idea over all the others, why this one popped in your brain and stayed there. Why do you care about this book? Why are you writing this book?

Ask yourself:

✨ When did you first realize you wanted to become a writer?

✨ When did this idea strike you for the first time?

✨ Why THIS book?

✨ How will this story impact people?

✨ What will this story’s success look like?

Whatever your reasons are, we need you to write. We need your stories. The world would be less without them.

xo,