Make A Genuine Connection with Your Readers
Have you ever read a book where you found yourself unintentionally nodding, or just found yourself drawn to the author’s words, emotions, and impressions, simply because you understood completely what they had to say?
This is a genuine connection, and it’s an imperative attribute when you are sharing your personal story, and you want your story to resonate with readers with all kinds of different backgrounds and experiences.
So how do you create a connection with complete strangers you’ll never meet?
And how do you ensure that your story is accessible for anyone who picks up your book?
It starts by utilizing these tips to make sure you form a connection with your audience, no matter who is reading your personal story.
Writing about some of your hardest and most challenging experiences is understandably difficult.
You are dredging up memories and emotions that propel you to a time in your life when the answers and your ultimate path to success were by no means clear, so revisiting this period and putting it on paper can be tough. So when you start to tread this terrain, make sure that you find healing in your own words, and use that as your touchstone for explaining the situation and the journey ahead.
By writing a story that is personally healing, it is inevitable that your readers will be able to connect and relate to how you overcame those challenges and related feelings in the end.
If there’s one thing that all humans have in common, it’s that we all have some unusual traits and behaviors. So embrace your quirks, your oddities, and all of the distinctive traits that make you who you are! Maybe you are a neat freak, or a self-described slob, or just have an odd habit like biting your nails.
Whatever your quirks are, your reader will feel connected with you, because you are sharing something vulnerable, and are also ensuring your audience that everyone has unusual behaviors they otherwise keep a little bit hidden.
It’s hard to be vulnerable when you are sharing your story with the world, and for good reason. We want to be the hero of our stories, and don’t necessarily want to share our flaws, missteps, and other self-imposed obstacles that prevented us, (for a while at least), from moving forward.
But everyone has these flaws and missteps, and has felt stupid, silly, or embarrassed for acting or reacting at some point in their lives – (and often, on many occasions).
So don’t be afraid to be honest! When you think back on the books you love, chances are that the author or main character wasn’t perfect, and that is exactly why you related to them in the first place.
A strong story has a slightly flawed character who has the ability to overcome both external and internal obstacles, after all, and a great author has the bravery to put these fears and missteps in print.
So be brave, be vulnerable, and be honest! By creating a true accounting of your story, which includes all of the messy parts, you’ll form a genuine connection that will resonate with readers everywhere.
Not sure how to start and finish your very own book? Come join us at the Book Bound Workshop next month in Plano, Tx. You’ll learn everything about becoming an author and publishing your story! You can join the three day event here. I look forward to seeing you there!