Writing for Readers vs. Your Own Catharsis

Should you pen a piece on what's got you angry or frustrated, even though it’s not your area of expertise? Depends. What is your writing mission?

The idea for this post comes directly from an editing experience last week. It explains why it’s so important for us writers to think deeply about our skill set, our primary target audience, and our long-term writing goals when events nudge us out of our lanes to write about things that piss us off or leave us dazed and confused but on subject matter for which we have limited expertise or experience.

Here’s what happened:

One of my writers pitched a smart piece about one of the terrible things happening with the US government’s funding and oversight of health and science research, monitoring and public education. The pitch compelled me to once again take a close look at the mission of the publication I edit, Wise & Well, in order to decide whether the story would be a good fit. Been doing a lot of that lately. Writing and publishing the right stories is important not just to cultivate readership but to stay true to what you do best, so readers come to know what to expect from you, the writer, and in this case, we the publication.

Takeaway: You need your own personal writing mission. What is it that you do? Can you describe it in one short sentence? If not, give it a try—it could prove enlightening, and helpful in times like these.

Image: Ketut Subiyanto/Pexels

Considering the mission

Our mission — something this editor refers to regularly — reveals why the writer’s pitch was in a gray area, and why my response put the ball back in their court:

Science-backed insights into health, wellness and wisdom, to help you make tomorrow a little better than today.

Interpretation: Wise & Well is a niche publication aimed at lay readers, seeking always to educate, uplift and entertain, rather than grouse. We aim to include actionable information, to arm people with advice they can carry into their lives. Coverage of politics and governmental issues does infuse many of our stories, but making them the focus of our stories can muddy the mission. Yet… yet…

Here’s what I said to the writer: