As you prepare to write, what is the best format to convey your message?
Once you decide on your idea, know your target your audience, and lock in the take-home value you will provide to that audience, the next step is to decide on the best format to convey your message. There are myriad ways for a writer to communicate including
Analysis
Education
Emotion
Encouragement
Experience
Guidance
Information
Insight
Inspiration
Instruction
Introduction
Motivation
Opinion
Report
Transformation
Best Format to Convey Your Message
After I had shopped a book proposal for some time, an agent pointed out, “A book was not the best format to convey your message.”
He suggested the multi-sensory story of the pioneers who dared to see how fast they could go in the unregulated, flaming, thunderous, and unpredictable AA Fuel Altered race cars would be better told as a screenplay. Similarly, another project titled What To Send When You Don’t Know What To Say, spawned from my early bestseller, What To Do When You Don’t Know What To Say, worked best as a line of greeting cards. A children’s topic became more interactive and effective as a game.
Wanna test your book idea? Publish the topic as an article. Introduce your memoir in a Chicken Soup for the Soul submission. If your novel lags in the middle, a full-length book may not be the best format to convey your message. Can the manuscript work as a short story or novella or part of an anthology?
As writers, we have myriad formats to convey our message and connect with readers. In conclusion, when you know your target audience, and the take-home value you want to deliver, it is time to consider what format will be the most effective to share your message. You have a plenty of options.
For more writing tips, get a copy of The Quick Writing Guide to Penning Pivotal Plots.
