The Question All Writers Should Ask Themselves
By: Kat Morris
Tags: Writing, Self, Creativity, Personal Growth, Philosophy

The Question All Writers Should Ask Themselves

How asking yourself a very important question will help you become a better artist that connects with others

Image Source: Pixabay

Niche down is the number one piece of advice amongst creators who are trying to make a brand out of their name and curate a social media presence. You should present yourself as the guru of one particular topic. What’s your special talent? What’s your niche?

I don’t think I’ve followed this advice very well. I’ve enjoyed exploring different avenues way too much and get bored easily if I feel restricted and can only write about one topic. I need scope. I need broad horizons. I feel that I need to reach as many people as possible by covering all the things that matter to me.

It turns out I do have a “niche”

I just didn’t see it before. I realise now the importance of knowing who you are as a writer.

I like to help people. When I write, I like my takeaway to be something that helps readers feel better. Whether it’s to help them to improve their writing skills, feel confident as parents, or know that they are not alone in struggling with their mental health, I like to leave readers with something to think about that helps them to feel happier, comforted, or inspires them to help others.

I know I want to help others

I want to inspire change. The way I discovered this was through the books that made me stop, think, and feel.

I recently read I Stop Somewhere by T.E. Carter, a heart-breaking story that takes an in-depth look at rape culture and what it’s like to be a young girl. As a woman who has been through similar experiences to T.E. Carter’s protagonist, I wanted to write something about what life is like for young girls, something where the takeaway for people would be realising that girls matter, and how dangerous the world can be for them. It is books like Carter’s that always resonate with me the most. Her book made me realize that I want to protect young people and make a difference in their lives.

It’s been there all this time and I didn’t know.

I love to write children’s fantasy stories. I tend to write things that younger me would have found comfort in. The quote “Be who you needed when you were younger” is something I always have in mind when I write. Even when I write articles on parenting or mental health, I think of teenage me who suffered with her mental health, and I think of the young frightened mother I was five years ago, alone with a newborn baby, no support, and no idea how to get better.

I don’t just want to help people who have suffered. I need to help people. I think that is my “niche” or “brand”; to be the writer who uses her words to heal young girls and women who were just like me. A writer who wants to educate the next generation and make the world a better place for her son.

That’s who I want to be.

The question will come up one day, and it’s OK if you’re not ready to answer it

Read a book. Play music. Write a poem. Find something that will trigger the thing you’re looking for. Reach within for something deep, something you really don’t want to face but need to get out of your system if you want to reach the truth of who you are meant to be.

Brand matters. You want people to associate you with good things. For example, wouldn’t you much rather be the writer that inspired a generation of young people to be empathetic and avid readers, or associated with transphobia?

You want your words to resonate with readers. You want to make a difference. But you’ll find it difficult to find your purpose as a writer if you are all over the place.

It’s OK to create whatever you want to create. I think it’s OK to have broad horizons and want to explore everything. But you need a common thread amongst the work you create. Is it therapeutic? Do you write to educate? Help? Inspire? Advocate?

Who are you?

This is the question that one day you will have to ask. If you want to have a social media presence that connects with others, and have your words make a difference in this world, then you need to make people listen.

The only way you’ll make their heads turn is if they think they know you. But first, you have to know yourself. You need to decide what sort of writer you want to be. What matters to you the most? What are you passionate about?

How can you make the world a better place?

I want to write for children. I want my books to be a safe space for them. I want to help parents be good parents to their children so that they don’t struggle with their mental health in later life. I want to be considered a mental health advocate that spreads the message to everyone of any age that it’s OK not to be OK. I want to be the person I needed when I was younger.

When you know the answer, you can keep it in mind when you write. It will help you to keep going. If you have a purpose, you are less likely to give up.

What’s your purpose? Who do you want to be?

Your turn now.

Tell me, writer — who are you?