More Than a Romp in the Park: Identifying What Your Story Offers Your Readers

Why do we write? As writers, we are often laser-focused on the minutiae of our stories: our characters, plot points, themes, and genre-specific tropes that, when put together, build a solid tale, brick by brick. And that's amazing, and gives us a base from which to connect with our readers.

But what if there's another, bigger way to connect with our readers that helps us to curate their experience and have them thinking about our story long after its over?

I want each of us to ask ourselves: Why are we writing this particular story at this particular time? What is it that we want our readers to walk away knowing or feeling? What experience do we want them to have?

If we can identify that, if we can figure out what the purpose is behind our writing, we will have far more control over how we shape and present the very tales we are all so passionate about.

In this talk, I will cover five of the main overall reasons for writing fiction, and how each one helps to shape the connection between our readers and our stories. From Instructional to Critical to Escapist -- and stops in between -- we'll look at how knowing what our own overall motivations are is a crucial step in creating a strong, clear experience for our readers.

I hope you'll join me!