We often begin by asking, “What should I write?”
Have you ever gotten stuck with that question?
Starting with the what is starting from the wrong place. When you have a solid why, the message, the what, can begin to flow from your passion.
When my husband was in the final stages of writing his first book, What Lies Beneath, writing was certainly not his passion. But, he knew his why. And that fueled him to put his rich and thought-provoking content down, despite the fact that he may not have loved the process.
As writers, we must not only ask: What message do we have? We also must ask: Why is this message important to record? Is it beneficial? Does it meet a need?
If our writing is merely an assignment or obligation, then our content, our what, will likely fail. And we’ll be miserable going through the motions. But, if we put down what God gives us to share, even if it comes via an assignment, then our why will make our what amazing! Finding a topic you are passionate about can make writing worthwhile even when it is a so-called requirement.
If we don’t master our why, our message either will fall flat or fail to flow. If we don’t know why we write, we won’t care whether other people read it. And, if we don’t care, they won’t care. Some potential whys may include: to inspire, to challenge, to entertain, to educate, and to transform. What fuels your writing? What is your reason? What is your why?