---
Service
Any business-related service focuses on one thing: the customer. As writers, our customers are our readers. The written word means absolutely nothing unless someone reads it, so when I think of service, it's all about my specific audience. I ask myself different questions for different types of writing. Here are two examples:
For my fiction:
- Is this engaging enough to keep the reader interested from start to finish?
- Is it credible? Are all my facts straight?
- Is it an escape, something the readers can immerse themselves in?
- Is this something the reader will recommend to his/her friends?
- Is this something that will create reader loyalty? (for example, will he/she look for my work in the future, based on what they read now?)
- In short, is this the best I can provide?
For my blogging:
- Is this helpful?
- Is this a new idea? Is this an old idea presented in a fresh way?
- Who will benefit the most from this information? (this affects where I publicize certain posts)
- Is this something my readers can get excited about and/or relate to?
- Is this something my readers will recommend to others in the writing community?
- In short, is this the best I can provide?
By asking, "What can I do for my reader?" you are not only serving them well, you are also helping yourself by building a good reputation. Rule number one in any business: You are nothing without the customer. Viewing your readers as customers will help you focus on ways to serve them the best way you possibly can.
~Lydia
It's very true that we can never forget our readers when writing. Without them our work is useless.
ReplyDeleteJai
I never thought of it from that angle. Thanks for pointing that out. I do want to provide them with something that they walk away "better for having read."
ReplyDeleteI agree. I have a lot to say, but I realise I have to package it in a way that makes people want to listen.
ReplyDeleteAh, WTF? So I shouldn't try giving all these people in the returns line a store credit?
ReplyDeleteRight now, a lot of my writing is personal and theraputic; it's helping me kill off a lot of the past five year's demons.
ReplyDeleteBut I truly hope that along the way I'm creating something that will be entertaining to other people.
Brad,
ReplyDeleteYou are entertaining to me. I'm "other people" so I count. :)
~L
I adhere to Vonnegut's seventh rule: "Write to please just one person. If you open a window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia."
ReplyDeleteWhen I write something I keep in mind a single person as my target reader. That's my technique, and I find it less overwhelming. :) Of course, when making a final draft I imagine I'll have to make sure there's nothing too terribly esoteric that a general audience won't understand. (If there ever is a final draft to make LOL)