Tip #15 in the Publish Don’t Perish Series is to ask yourself, “Why?” Whether your work in progress are your memoirs, a novel, or nonfiction work, why do you want to write it? What do you want it to accomplish? Who is your audience? The answer to these questions will help provide you with direction in what you need to do to get to the end, whether it should even be published, and how.
Who is your audience?
Before you start writing, the experts always ask you to identify your audience. Who do you want to reach? Your audience is key. To name just a few reasons for its importance, your audience dictates how you write your story, whether a traditional publisher would be interested in your story, and how you would market your story.
Answering this question, will also help you understand why you want to write your story.
The inspiration.
A dear family friend had a very unusual and difficult life. She reached out to me for guidance on writing her memoirs. I am not an expert in that area, nor do I hold myself out as a copy editor or content editor. The service I provide authors is on the legal end – either forming and organizing their companies or providing a legal review of their manuscript to minimize their risk of liability. Her quest, however, is the inspiration behind this article.
Why do you want to write your story?
I happen to be a member of an incredible group of fellow writers. As I reached out to my group on behalf of this family friend, the response I received from one wise member sparked this tip. It is all about the why, especially when it comes to memoirs.
This fellow writer wrote his life history and found it to be a good experience. He didn’t write it for publication, but for himself and his family.
If you write it for yourself and your family, he offered these thoughts:
“1. There are no rules you must follow. This is your story so you can do what you want. It can be short or long. You can include stories that make you look near perfect or those that are embarrassing.
2. The other thing that motivated me to write it was a friend who said, ‘everyone should write their life history because if you do not, someone else will tell your story for you … and it will be wrong.’ :-)”
If you are writing for publication, I suggest learning the craft and obtaining the publishing guidelines.
When I wrote “A Beacon for Life,” it had a dual purpose. It was a way for me to work through my grief and assist others in working through theirs. To help others, I had to have it published by a traditional publisher. If I helped one person, I met my goal. Fortunately, my goal was exceeded beyond my wildest imagination.
If your goal is to reach others outside of your family and friends, stay tuned for Tip #16.
Why do you want to write?
(c) 2021 Karen Van Den Heuvel Fischer
