“Connecting to Your Reader’s Heart”
Dear writer, last week we discussed the importance of knowing your goal, motivation, and conflict to create passionate characters that capture the reader’s heart! This week, we’re going to look at a similar but slightly different application for non-fiction writers. To do that, we’re going to look at…ourselves and our readers. Our goals, motivation, and conflict and theirs. Because here’s the thing…
In fiction, we nest our message in our story. Certain people will be drawn to the genre and to the story for its own sake and will find the truth hidden inside by surprise. The same is true of memoirs. (In fact, you can apply much of last week’s post to you, as the main character!) But for most non-fiction, people are drawn to directly to the message—the truth—that’s being offered and knowing what goal, motivation, and conflict brought you to that truth and what is drawing your readers to that message is key to connecting that truth to their hearts.
But before we dive in, let’s take a look at some people who knew themselves and others well.
Knowing Your GMC’s in History
Sun Tzu is a great example of a man who understood goals, motives, and conflicts—both his and others. That understanding helped him to win battle after battle and earned him a reputation as one China’s greatest military strategists. It’s no surprise that when he wrote a book on “The Art of War” that one of his most memorable quotes is “If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.” His grasp of motives and goals helped settle his country during a tumultuous time and has provided wisdom to leaders for centuries beyond.
And it’s the same with you, writer. Connecting with readers is really about knowing yourself and knowing them. Knowing the personal goal behind your message and the point of pain that’s causing your reader to seek that message can give you such wisdom in crafting and shaping your work in a way that will reach them! But let’s continue…
Knowing Your GMC’s in the Bible
King David is a great example of a man who knew his motives and goals and conflict as well as those of the people He came to serve. When he was working to unite the tribes of Israel after King’s Saul’s death, he made peace with Abner the commander of Israel’s army. When Joab (David’s own commander) secretly killed Abner in act of vengance, David condemned the act and publicly mourned Abner’s death, refusing all food, and publicly cursing Joab. David cared for and knew what the hearts of the estranged tribes of Israel needed. His demonstration of heartfelt grief for their leader’s death won those hearts, wiping away the offense and bridging the gap between them.
Knowing Your GMC’s in Life
I knew my GMC the first year I taught one-year-olds as a Bible Study Fellowship children’s leader. I knew my goal was to teach these babies about Jesus, but one little girl wouldn’t come near to participate with other babies. After several weeks of frustration, I realized this was the case because, as an only child, she did not view herself as one of those other “babies.”
Once I realized the motive of her surprising fits of rage when we tried to bring her into the group for story or hymn time, I was able to meet her at her point of pain and reintroduce the other children to her, not as “babies” but as friends. And I was able to reintroduce her to herself as a good friend to them (which I was confident she would be). By the end of the year, this little girl was not only playing with her new friends, she was hugging them and kissing them on the cheek. Praise God!
Knowing Your GMC’s in Your Life
Do you see, writer, the power of understanding your goals and other’s hearts? As writers, God has given us each something beautiful to share with people who desperately need it. It’s simply a matter of grasping what that special something is, who desperately needs to hear it, where their deepest needs lie, and how to reach them there.
Jesus Himself did the same…
- “…but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” – Romans 5:8
- “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” – Luke 19:10
- “In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” – 1 John 4:10
- “How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” – Romans 10:14-15
Our King, writer, has always had one big goal on His heart. The story of the Bible is about how He’s reached into our lives with His very own life and message. And, as writers, we have the supreme honor of getting to do the same. Our message might not always be straight Gospel, but any time we share something of His goodness, beauty, and truth, we are shining light into dark places.
Where to Start with Knowing Your GMC’s
So if you’re wondering how to start, here are a few things to begin looking at.
- Know You. What is your goal, motivation, and conflict? In other words, what is the “why” driving you to share your message? If you don’t have a clear answer (one that is specific with a clear hoped-for impact) then I encourage you to spend some time praying and remembering why this message first hit your heart, why you feel you must share it, and how it motivated you to overcome conflicts in your own life. Knowing this will sharpen and reinforce your message and illuminate potential points of connection between you and your reader.
- Create a Reader Profile. Who are you trying to reach? Who absolutely needs to hear this message? What age are they? Where do they live? How do they live? Sit and write a description of the person who you think needs you message. Include as many life and lifestyle details as you can. Are they a busy mom rushing kids out the door to school before she heads to work? You might consider crafting your message in bite-size pieces with an audio option. Are your readers newly retired corporate executives who are feeling the emptiness of life? Something story based and principle driven might be better. Every kind of reader has different points of pain, needs, habits, goals, motivation, and conflict. Cataloging what those factors are for your readers will create an invaluable guide for you as you make decisions in crafting your message.
- Do some interviews. If you’re really not sure what the heart of your target reader might be, consider doing some research. Interview friends or acquaintances in your target audience. Ask them what their days look like, their habits, pastimes, and routines, what their hopes and dreams are, what obstacles they’re facing, and how they rest and relax and enjoy themselves and their relationships. Their answers will provide key insights to effectively shape your message to meet their needs.
- Get Some Beta Readers. If you’re already in the editing process and feeling pretty confident about your target reader, one great way to test your message and its impact is to find beta readers in your target audience. The feedback you receive from them will be an excellent indicator of how well your message is reaching their hearts.
- Ask God. God put your readers and your message on your heart for a reason. Be sure to seek Him for wisdom and strategies to reach them. When we stop to ask and listen, it can be amazing what treasures He bubbles up in and through us! When you pray, be sure to write down what He brings to mind. Some of my best thoughts and insights came from asking Him for clarity about the stickiest spots of my own goals and message!
This may seem like a lot of work, writer, but the message you’ve been given is worth the investment. Why? Because the people whose lives will be touched are invaluable! The heart of our King goes out to them. Part of the adventure of writing is to get to know His people (at least a portion of them!) through His eyes. I can’t think of a greater privilege! And here’s the beautiful thing. As we pursue His heart for our readers, coming to understand who they are and what they need through His messages, we will find ourselves walking more and more in step with our King.
So I encourage you, today: if your personal goals or the hearts of your target reader are unclear to you, set aside some time to pray, think, explore, and converse with God and with them. Taking time to dig for the treasure in them is one of the best ways to help unearth the treasure in you.
#readers #hearts #goals #motives #known #EveryWriterWriting
