“A woman whose son was incarcerated read my own favorite short story of all I’ve written (‘Unconditional’) about a parent whose child is in prison for an unimaginable crime. She told me it had brought her comfort and asked to share it with a support group for parents of children in prison. They read it and she shared some of their comments. Truly moving and reminded me why I write fiction in the first place — to make that emotional connection with a reader.”
Blake Crouch
Author of Dark Matter and Wayward Pines
Source: Kobo Writing Life Interview
Why do we write?
We use all sorts of strategies, techniques, and skills to write something great. We put in hours and hours of hard work to create something readable.
Ultimately, what do we want to achieve? What is our goal?
I think Blake Crouch said it best in his 2012 interview with Kobo Writing Life.
Write to make “an emotional connection with a reader.”
I think this applies to both non-fiction and fiction. The goal of the writer is to write something that will move the heart. Sure, we want them to make connections between ideas. We want to tell a good story. None of that matters, though, without that personal, emotional connection with an audience. Establish that and then lives may change. Emotion comes before impact.
So, what about your book, article, short story, essay, blog post, tweet, etc. is making an emotional connection with a reader?
