What to Write About

Are you writing for the masses? Do you want to try to reach as many people as possible? Then you need to answer a universal question—something that will resonate with anyone, no matter who they are or where they’re from.

If you’re not sure about the level of stakes in your story, simply ask yourself: • Would the audience want to hear my next sentence? • If I stopped speaking right now, would anyone care? • Am I more compelling than video games and pizza and sex at this moment?

1/3/1 + 1/3/1 Now, let’s say you need to write a hefty introduction. (I use the word “need” very specifically here, because unless there’s a real reason for your introduction to be longer than seven-or-so sentences, you should err on the side of brevity and kill a few more of your darlings.) A “trick” for making a long introduction seem short is by

bring things back to the reader’s wants, needs, and desires. At no point should your story or “for context” information equal or exceed the amount of time you spend talking about the reader. The vast majority of anything you write should be directed to answering your target reader’s questions, or giving them valuable insight that will move them one