Of Titles and Tomatoes

I have a Title; Now What?

It is always exciting to find a subject that you really want to write about. It may be an experience, educational information, results of a research or other project, or simply a topic that interests you enough to want to share with others. If you are writing for yourself, write away!

If you plan to publish, there are things to consider before you write your first draft. The best writing comes from an author who has explored why they are writing about this specific topic and what they want for the reader to receive from reading it. Here are three things to consider:

1.   Why are you writing this? There are unlimited reasons why things are written. Here are my top three:

   1. Education: Are you sharing information to help the reader learn about a topic or how to do something?

   2. Experience: Do you want to share an experience, adventure, success, or challenge?

   3. Entertainment: Is there something in your writing that will make the reader smile, laugh and possibly see themselves in a similar scenario?
      

2. What is the outcome you want to achieve? Again, outcomes are as varied as the reason to write. Here are a few that I usually consider first:

   1. Emotion: What am I feeling and how am I conveying that to the reader? How do I want them to feel when they finish reading what I have written? Personally, regardless of the subject I am writing about, I always want to convey hope and encouragement.

   2. Reflection: What do I want the reader to think about as they are reading? What do I want them to take away when they have finished reading?

   3. Action: The end action is always important to consider. Do you want the reader to do something because of what they have read? Be sure this is clear.
      

Here's an example for you to consider:

I have decided to write on the subject of my first attempts to grow a tomato plant in a pot on my back porch. I'm writing it for several reasons. First of all because it was an exciting experience for me. I am not a gardener and I suspect there are many others who will be entertained by my adventure and also educated about growing a vegetable in a pot in the city. The outcome I want to achieve is to share the emotions I felt along the way from anticipation to disappointment to finally excitement when the first little tomato started to go from bloom to actual fruit. I want the reader to smile and consider that they might also be able to grow a vegetable in a pot regardless of where they live.

Next time, let's consider where you want to publish you're writing. Chicken Soup vs academic journal; article versus book.

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E-mail sharon@sharonthinton.com for more information.