When writing a book, make sure you think about this topic, because if you don’t, you risk alienating your readers.
I’m talking about preaching.
I’ve seen many writers hurt their cause by over-stressing their themes. This can only alienate your reader, in spades I might add, and lower the value of your work. The solution? Easy. Improve your writing, and, use subtext.
Let’s start with the first point: improving your writing. Try and read the best books possible in your genre(s). And, with that said, the “not-so” best books. This will give you a feeling of what works and what doesn’t. You may not feel it, but your subconscious mind will be soaking up the richness of the quality written work you take in, it will also cause you to differentiate between good and bad.
Next, use subtext. What is subtext? It’s the hidden meaning in your writing. Using symbolism and motifs, you enrich your work and add layers. To the logical, this is the best way of getting your point across.
Preachy writing stems from two things, poor writing, and writer insecurity. Both go hand in hand in devaluing a writer’s work. But by utilizing quality writing and layering it with subtext, you’ll be helping yourself, and your reader. When you understand these points, you’ll realize that, ultimately the reader must make the final decision. This isn’t me trying to be preachy, but rather a universal truth.
T.A. UNER is the Author of various novels and short stories. Please be sure to follow him on LeopardKingSaga.com, where he blogs about writing, self-publishing, and sales & marketing, or just plain nonsense. Please subscribe to his blog posts and have them delivered directly to your e-mail inbox. He will be grateful and dance on his hands if you do.
