The best books, blogs, and articles bless their target audience.
A blessing according to my vintage Webster’s dictionary definition is “A means of happiness or welfare.”
The welfare of our readers must be uppermost in a writer’s mind if we hope to make them happy.
This is one of the reasons a book proposal submitted to an agent, editor, or publisher must contain a blurb about who the intended target audience is. As Zig Ziglar said, “If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time.”
This rule is a blessing and not a burden to the writer too. For when we receive reviews of our work, we know not to take the negative ones written by people outside of our target audience too much to heart. Yes, we can learn from all comments. But the ones that matter most are the ones penned by “our people.” If we can keep our tribe engaged, inspired, and satisfied, then our words have blessed them.
As inspirational writers who write for the glory of God, our audience is already a much smaller one compared to the secular market. But our words have huge potential to bless others eternally. (This is why I’m so happy to be one of God’s scribes.)
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. Ephesians 4:29 NIV
Another way writers can bless readers is to stay true to their brand. If we’re known for writing sweet romances, we must not wander outside this genre and expose our readers to steamy stuff they weren’t expecting nor wanting. This is one of the fastest ways to tick off a reader. (I’ve been the reader who tossed that book aside.) And if we’re known for writing gracious devotionals and tasteful memoirs, we must not throw anyone under the bus through written words. Grace is the grease that keeps our writing in godly motion.
The same goes for politics. If we’re not political commentators who regularly write about current events, it’s best to stay away from these topics because it’s never a win-win to offend half your audience. Once when I did venture into a forbidden zone in one of my newsletters, I was promptly chastised by a faithful reader. She was right. I had strayed into politics. I apologized and asked her to let me know if I ever did it again. That dear reader did me a gracious favor.
Let’s choose a hill we believe God is calling us to die on and leave the other ones to those He called to be there. For example, my hard hill is abortion. I’m willing to be unfollowed and unliked for writing about that sensitive topic. But when it comes to public policies, I want to keep a kilometer-wide berth because I happen to know and love beautiful people on all sides of things controversial. Recently I listened to an acquaintance share what she believed about some hard things; I just listened because I care about her and didn’t have a fully formed opinion on that topic yet. And to be honest, I feared potential judgment about something I don’t feel passionate about. It wasn’t a hill I felt called to suffer on either.
There’s so much to say about being a blessing to readers. But for the sake of brevity and for the sake of getting back to work on some projects I hope will bless my readers, I’ll leave it here.
Blessings as you write to glorify God. And may your words bless readers.
P.S. I couldn't resist including a photo of my writing buddies above. They doze while I write. Hopefully, my readers don't doze while reading my writing.
Wendy L. Macdonald is an inspirational blogger and podcaster who loves to photograph nature on Vancouver Island. Her byline is: “My faith is not shallow because I’ve been rescued from the deep.” On her main website, she enjoys interacting with readers.
