Only Connect

I can be the most technically gifted writer in the world, but if I don’t engage with my readers, they won’t read what I write. I have a duty to engage with them, because otherwise my words will lie dusty on a page. If I want people to engage with my writing, it must do something for them: inspire emotion, be useful, practical, interesting, thought provoking. I must speak to my readers so they want to listen to me (not harangue them about their perceived shortcomings, or pretend I am special ‘cos I wrote it down). I must gather up all the ideas I can find, sift them thoroughly, and then present them in a way that shines a light. The odd thing, though, is that I don’t write for my readers. Not really. The words just have to be written. And once they’ve been written I have no control over what people will make of them. (This is not a problem, this is permission to fly!) Because if I edit really carefully, and hit just the right note, we might possibly, maybe, only connect.