“If you don't write stories you love, you'll never make it. If you don't write stories that other people love, you'll never make it.” – Ray Bradbury, Born Aug. 22, 1920.
Your best work is going to occur in that intersection or overlap where the subject you are passionate and enthusiastic about is the same one that your audience cares about.
Duh, right? But where is that common ground? How can you find it?
Try asking yourself a few questions as you explore that topic.
What's the angle that makes you intrigued?
What's the point of view that makes the topic open up in your mind?
How does that new perspective show you something you didn't see before?
Now think about your prospective reader.
What's their interest in the topic?
What's at risk for them in tackling it on their own?
What's the potential upside of their going with you and exploring it alongside you?
Answer those questions first. Then look for how to sew them together into one fabric.
Make it a matter of mutual interest and potential mutual benefit. A combination of what they want, and what you want, and what everyone needs and will enjoy.
If you only focus on your side, you may be happy but you'll go broke because it will be boring to others.
If you focus only on their side, it can feel phony and pandering and condescending.
But when you work both sides together and figure out how to make them intersect and collide and combine and twist together…
So that what YOU love is wrapped around what THEY love…
…Then you're creating work that is meaningful and will make people change and move how you want them to.
Remember always, a marketing message is FROM someone, TO someone. Always remember that the message is meant to communicate useful knowledge from one human brain to another. A real human connection and transfer of value.
Or else it's just words.
Thanks what I think anyway…
But it's not all about me, is it?
What do YOU think?
This connected with me, Sir Colin. Grabbed a lot of quotes to keep in mind while writing posts or newsletter issues.
“Make it a matter of mutual interest”
is the key.
I guess it’s getting your ego out of the way but somehow still mixing your personal interest in the subject.
I really appreciate this. I came to see what you had to say about blogs, because I think I want to start one, and this is the best piece of advice I could have to get started. I‘ve tried To sell things where I’ve had a hard time doing BOTH my favorite thing and the things people want. I think youre going a little deeper in saying to find a different topic then 😆 I’m going to do that, and honestly the thought of satisfying both those things makes me more happy then I can even say.
I took your advice and just opened up my red dust cover copy of Bradbury Stories. Page 328, "I See You Never".
"…the hot days, the endless crickets leaping and falling or lying dead and brittle like the small cigars in the shop windows"
Mr Bradbury and I crossed paths.
Thank you Colin
A true master of the short story. A guy who can really transport the reader to where when you hit the end, you feel like you’ve just woken up from a trance, like the lights turning on at the end of a good movie.