(3 min read.) During private writing coaching sessions, the question I ask my clients the most often isn’t exactly about writing craft, motivation, habit, style, structure, or anything else complicated. The question is very loving and kind out loud, but in print it seems sort of brutal? Not every writer needs this, but many of them seem to. It sometimes makes people gasp or tear up because it suddenly all seems so simple. I don’t try to make anyone cry, but sometimes they let a few tears out with this one. Maybe because this question is a little scary but also kind of a relief? Anyway, here’s my most-frequently-asked question in writing coaching sessions:
“What if you tell the reader that?”
“Could you say that to the reader? Just tell them that?”
What if you just say that?
ME: “Ok, forgetting about the writing project for a second. What do you actually think?”
(Listens to writer speak for two minutes.)
ME: “What if you just say THAT?”
(Writer looks shocked, then does it, and the draft of their writing lights up and levitates and spins in a circle with glowing laser beams shooting everywhere like a sci-fi movie effect.)
What I Witness (Over and Over) in Writing Coaching
Writers often show up and can tell me out loud exactly what they really think or feel about their subject, but they wouldn’t write that. They wouldn’t say that in writing! They’d write something better than that. Smarter than that. Their noble instinct is to be more clever or artful on the page. Here’s the thing:
What’s obvious to you can blow others away.
Nobody thinks like you think. Nobody’s lived what you’ve lived. Nobody knows what you know.
Your actual perspective might not sound like something “a writer” would say, but that’s because you haven’t written it yet.
I’m a career creative writer (20 years, millions of readers) who’s spent my life wondering about how to build meaningful connections through language, and whether I’m making my own pages or doing private writing coaching I believe the easiest way to connect with someone deeply (from the page but maybe in any situation) is to tell the truth and risk being blunt or obvious.
“I love you” is a great example of this. When you know it, you just say it. It’s not artful. It doesn’t have to be.
“What if you just say that?”
If you’re speaking as yourself, tell the reader directly. If you’re doing fiction, put it in a character’s mouth. POINT BLANK and EXPLICITLY. Say the point. Or make a character say the point.
“Won’t that feel too obvious?”
Here’s the thing about that:
Everybody’s tired.
As the great Ariana Grande sang, “in case you haven’t noticed, everybody’s tired.”
I don’t agree with everything she’s ever sung, but I sure agree with that. Everybody’s tired, including your audience as a writer. So if you know something is true about your subject, say it clearly. Spell it out. Don’t be coy. Everyone’s too tired to guess. Risk being obvious.
It’s okay to be clear.
What’s obvious to you can blow others away and even if it doesn’t they will appreciate that your clarity didn’t make them feel more tired.
So, get blunt. Try it on. Try it out.
You can always edit or change it later if the moment feels too clunky, but erring on the side of the obvious is a WILDLY useful writing habit to get into. See how it works for you. It may be pretty surprising (I’ve been honestly SHOCKED a few times) when you discover how vital it is for people to simply hear what you really know, with no frills or dressing.
(If you hide your thoughts or feelings in hints and clues in your writing because you want to be intriguing or mysterious or sophisticated or elegant, many people will simply miss your point. That’s your choice. It’s okay to be subtle or ambiguous or indirect if that’s who you want to be as a writer, but not if you want your point to be understood. If it matters to you, just say what’s real.)
You don’t even have to pretend to know more (or less) than you actually do. Just know the amount you know, and share that.
You don’t have to pretend at all; you can just say what you think.
What I Ask Folks (Over and Over) in Writing Coaching
What do you actually think?
What if, in your writing you just SAY THAT?
Try it on. See if it works for you. Maybe it’ll shake something loose, bring out something new, or help you find more power and ease on the page. In writing coaching sessions, I work with my clients on a lot of things (structure, habit, audience impact), but this a great place to start. What if you forget about sounding good and simply mean it, own it, and say it?
(If you want a quick super-actionable writing tip, check out Oddball Writing Tip (Backed by Science): Change your Clothes.)
xo, megan
There’s no one way to write. There’s only your way. I hope some of my tactics and ideas can help you find it.
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curious/confused?: what does a writing coach do (and not do)
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