On finding what you most want to say, and who you want it to reach

There are just two more spots left in Bloom, my 8 week writing support program to build a sustainable lifelong writing practice: And doors close soon (we start on January 24).

If you’ve been waiting to join, this is your last chance to do so!

Use the code WRITERFRIENDS for 20% off

Journaling: Meet your Ideal Reader and Ideal Work

When I embark on a new project, or when I’m feeling a bit lost at sea, I reorient myself with these journaling practices. It’s useful for fleshing out book proposals, or just fleshing out your concepts and audience to yourself.

When I engage in this practice, I journal about my ideal reader, AND the ideal version of the work. Where do they connect? What do I want my reader to get out of this book?
That helps me clarify not only the marketing and audience sections of my book proposal but also identify what my reader wants from reading.

These prompts are ones I share in Bloom, and they’re ones I turn to again and again, helping me tap into my enthusiasm for my work and gain clarity about what I’m saying and how, who it’s reaching, and what I hope they’ll gain from reading it.

If you’re feeling unsure about both, just start freewriting and let whatever ideas come to you that need to without filtering them. You can always refine and revisit later.

I do this for each new writing project I undertake: A book, an article series, etc. You can also think about them in terms of your work overall.

This works best if you tap into the emotion of the work and of reaching your reader: Lean into what feels exciting, what feels really big and world-changing about your work, and who is your absolute dream reader (or any other dream scenarios connected with your writing), no matter how out of reach they might feel!

As with all my journal prompts, take what works and leave what doesn’t: Focus on the prompts that resonate most with you.

Journaling prompts: My Ideal Reader

What is my ideal audience interested in?

What kind of work do they do, or hobbies do they have?

How does connecting with my work enrich and improve their lives?

If I could think of one person (or a few) who I’d most like to share this work with get an excited response it would be….

Journaling prompts: My Ideal Work

What value does this work bring to people’s lives?

What is the core message of this work? If I had to describe this work to a loved one who knows absolutely nothing about my topic, what would I say?

If I had to describe this project in one sentence, what would I say?

What is the one main thing I hope people take away from reading this writing (there are no wrong answers here)!

What gifts am I giving the world? (Or, in other words, thinking about your work in connection to legacy)

You’ve now thought about how your work connects to your ideal audience, but what about the goodness it’s bringing to the world writ large? In other words, what legacy are you hoping to leave behind?

I share more prompts on this subject, plus a whole big resource library of similar activities, practical writing support strategies, and more in Bloom.

Come join me! We start January 24th (remember to use WRITERFRIENDS for 20% off).