I’m working on my next book, titled, Carry Me Through (90 devotions for Times When You Can’t Go On). While I love writing devotions, yesterday I found myself writing a couple that don’t land. Nothing wrong with them. But they don’t hit deep in the feels.

Writing Tip for Today: Here are some tips for writing in ways that make readers care:

Avoid Melodrama

Some writers mistakenly think that their work must include high drama or else it isn’t memorable. I’ve had a lot of students writing about fires, car crashes or disasters. And while there isn’t anything wrong with writing about events such as these, ordinary moments in the hands of an extraordinary writer often affect readers most deeply.

Maybe this is because while few of us have lived through a disaster, we’ve all had ordinary moments. The effective writer understands how to elicit raw emotion from an unremarkable occurrence.

By looking for profound emotions and change in mundane events, writers can lift readers to a new way of seeing. And new ways of seeing often arise from deeply held, authentic (but not melodramatic) emotional connections.

Write Pricey

A writing adage asks, “How much does this cost you?” The idea is that by sheltering your feelings or hiding the real impact of your story, you unintentionally cheapen the reader experience.

If your work mentions relatives or friends who might not like to see themselves as you write it, consider using composite characters or changing the gender or appearance of the character. If nothing else, you may need to wait until that person has died to write about it honestly.

We worry about others’ reactions, but the costliest writing comes from facing ourselves. From seeing ourselves as we really are, warts and all.  Many times, rewrites (several!) can peel away the layers of self-protection you’ve built around a topic or story. When you get there, you know it. And you’ll know how high a price you’re paying to let readers see your innermost thoughts.

A writing adage asks, “How much will this cost you?” 

Be Authentic

Authenticity, genuineness and honesty in our work attracts readers. People are drawn to the bold writer who isn’t content to write about things in a shallow way.  Authentic writing doesn’t mean you dwell on too many details, though. For example, if you write about your loved one’s death from cancer, concentrate on emotions, not tubes and medical terms.

Your genre and tone don’t necessarily need to be somber, though. Writers such as Anne Lamott write humorously about serious subjects. Be careful that your honesty doesn’t lead to a pity party or a rant.  Lamott’s motto is that we’re all doing the best we can. Ask yourself if your slant is kind, true and necessary, whether you’re writing about yourself or others.

I’ll rewrite the devotions I’ve written that I think miss the mark. I’ll ask myself what readers can take away from my work—in light of the “when you can’t go on” subtitle. You can make readers care about your work by going at it straight-on (without melodrama), by being willing to let the writing cost you and by being authentic. As I demonstrate in my own work, reminders to dig deeper always improve writing and enhance reader experience.