Talk about your writing in a way that attracts readers

Learn how to describe your work so it sparks interest and connection

Years ago I used to do a lot of speaking at writing conferences. Many of these events would include a version of a “pitch slam,” where writers could sign up for an opportunity to pitch their book to a literary agent. Below are some photos I took of one in 2011. This first one is the crowd of writers waiting to be let in to meet with agents:

When the doors are opened, everyone rushed in:

Then they would wait on line for their turn to meet with the literary agent of their choice, they had 90 seconds to pitch:

Something about this always surprised me. For many of these authors, they had signed up to spend a lot of money on the conference ticket, hotel rooms, travel, and meals. They took time away from work and family. Yet, in the hours before the pitch slam, I would see writer after writer standing in a hall, practicing their pitches. For many, it seemed like this was the first time they were saying these words aloud, and they were workshopping various ideas to themselves, scribbling notes. I talked to a lot of writers at these events, and when I asked about their writing, they would often demure, sometimes saying that they have no idea how to describe their work.

In working with writers for decades, I have found that one of the scariest things you can say to a writer is this:

“So, tell me about your writing…”

Of course, in some ways, writers dream of this: to have someone express interest in their creative work. But that question can be scary because it feels impossible to sum up all of the things one’s writing involves into a single sentence or two.

Today, I want to encourage you to learn how to talk about your writing — what you write and why — in a manner that feels accessible and natural. Where you can do this easily in a wide range of situations: in conversation with a neighbor who walked past as you are mowing the lawn, with a coworker you bump into in the lunchroom at work, with your aunt at a family reunion, and yes, in that famous “elevator pitch” for all those times that you get in an elevator, and the literary agent of your dreams happens to get in after you and they strike up a conversation.

Why learn to talk about what you write and why in an effortless manner? Sooooooo many reasons. For starters, it helps you take specific actions with clarity and confidence:

• How to write your one-line bio on social media.

• How to write a long bio on your website.

• How to write a mid-length bio when you speak at a literary festival or are a guest on a podcast.

• How to come up with a title and description for your email newsletter.

• Knowing what to share online.

• Knowing what to say in your pitch to an agent.

• How to frame how you launch and market your books and writing.

• How to describe your work to friends, colleagues, and that time you bump into your favorite writer in an unexpected place.

• How to pitch yourself as a podcast guest.

• What to say on your website.

• How to have those around you take your aspirations seriously, and be someone who they know you as “a writer,” because you talk about writing in such a wonderful and clear manner.

• How to be ready for serendipity because you told someone about your writing who you had no idea was best friends with your favorite podcaster, and will tell them about your work, and they will slot you in as a guest on their show.

• You will no longer fear that you don’t know how to talk about your work, your identity as a writer, and your aspirations and dreams for sharing your unique creative voice.

If you don't learn how to talk about what you create and why, all of the other publishing hacks/tricks/trends that you spend hours researching have little to be based on. Your author platform (or author brand) is not how many followers you have. Instead it is based on two things:

1. How clearly you can communicate what you write and why.

2. How you develop a sense of trust and connection with others in the process.

Why learn Bluesky or Reels or Substack or anything else if you have no idea how to adequately talk about what drives you as a writer? None of this is meant to sound judgmental, rather, I want to encourage you to do the difficult work of knowing how to talk about your writing in a way that feels natural and accessible.

Okay, let’s dig in…

Get Your Key Messages Locked In

To learn how to truly communicate what you create and why, develop what I call your Key Messages. These are 3-10 statements that describe themes you write about. It’s different from an elevator pitch, because it is meant to be conversational in everyday situations. This is the foundation for what you share publicly, and how you become known as a writer.

Don’t be vague here. Why? Because that is the surest way for people to not really understand what you write, and in the process, not really caring. So when you describe your work in the vaguest possible ways: “I love a good story,” or “I want my stories to entertain,” or “I write stories that keep people turning pages,” or “I write lyrical prose,” that gives people very little to go on.

My advice? Allow your enthusiasm for what you write and why to be infectious. Box yourself in to the things you care most about. Sometimes we are vague because we justify it will attract the widest possible audience. Instead, I encourage you to focus on drawing people to your unique creative voice.

When you come up with your Key Messages, stress test them in real conversations over and over again. Notice where the conversation does and doesn’t go, and how people react. Don’t just rely on the same phrases you came up with years go that sound clever. Evolve your messaging based on what truly engages people. Too often, someone will settle into a description of their writing that makes them feel good, but does nothing to engage readers. So, they get stuck in a loop certain that they just aren’t finding the right people.

Developing your Key Messages is a craft that takes time. And I find that when people avoid this work, they also avoid having conversations about what they write and why. You can start by brainstorming ideas to finish this sentence:

“My writing explores ________. I am curious about this because ________.”

Consider questions such as:

• What drives you as a writer?

• What themes do you love exploring in your work?

• What inspires you, and may even inspire your reader or audience?

Sometimes the answers to these questions are missing from how a writer typically describes their work or themselves. Instead they focus on commonly understood categories and roles, which can help explain what shelf to find their book on in a store, but doesn’t truly communicate what they love writing and why.

Instead, focus on the beliefs and narratives that fuels your writing,

As you consider how to talk about your work, don’t get wrapped up in whether or not you feel you have adequate credentials. Too many people stop at this point because they say things like, “Oh I want to write historical fiction, but I’m not a historian.” Or “I want to write literary fiction, but I don’t have an MFA,” or “I want to write about my experience caregiving for my mother, but I’m not really an expert.” Or “I want to write about parenting, but I’m not a doctor.”

But what about if, instead, you used phrases such as:

“I believe…”

“I’m curious about…”

“I explore…”

Start there. When I work one-on-one with a writer, we delve much deeper into the process of crafting Key Messages. But it feels like the foundation for everything else that follows. In this essay, I talked about the marketing funnel for finding one’s readers, selling books, and creating loyal fans. That entire marketing strategy begins with Key Messages.

Forget About Balance

If you want people to see your identity in a certain way — as a writer, for instance — I encourage you to double down on it. Forget about the idea of “balance,” where everyone has to see you as a long list of socially acceptable things first: a father, a brother, an accountant, a Boston native, a member of the PTA, a Yorkie-dad, a golfer, a Red Sox fan, a graduate of _____ college, etc.

I’ll talk with people who tell me that their biggest dream is to become a writer, and when I look at how they describe themselves online, that identity comes dead last in the list.

If you want to be known as a writer, the first step of course is to write. Then, talk about what you write and why. Put this identity first. Now, I can already hear some of you thinking, “Oh Dan, I don’t want to be that person. The one who won’t shut up about their writing.”

Of course, I don’t want you to be annoying. Instead consider someone who you have met who talks about their creative work and passion in a manner that is natural and engaging. Where you can feel their energy and find it infectious. Maybe it’s your yoga instructor, or a bookstore owner you know, or an actor you once met, a well known author you met at a signing, etc.

In doing so, you are helping to create the conversations and experiences that truly matter, not just to you, but to those you connect with.

When I met Brené Brown, do you think she felt it would be annoying to talk about her research and writing? Of course not, she knows how to have that conversation with a sense of empathy and connection. Why? Because she’s practiced this thousands of times.

Double down on your unique creative voice — go all in. Become that person who those around you say, “Oh, she’s a writer. So passionate about _____ topic, you have to meet her.”

Become obsessed with creating the moments and experiences that inspire you as a writer and how you can connect your vision with others.

Why Should You Share Right Now?

In a recent newsletter, I started it with a list of justifications that writers sometimes make for not creating and sharing, and included this one:

“There is so much going on in the world. Who wants to hear about me and my book? It would be insensitive of me to even share about it now.”

I’ve heard this in many ways in a wide variety of situations. One of my most closely held beliefs that drives my work is: you have a unique creative voice, and the world is a better place when you share it. (Read more about this here and here.)

Your voice is what the world needs. The one you share with intention. That is focused on what you create and why. Not as a negative distraction, but as the respite and inspiration that someone needs today.

No, you are not being insensitive if you share. We are each many things and need many things. Our lives, our days, our hours are multifaceted. It is entirely possible to be in mourning, and also need joy. To be angry, but also want connection. To hold more than one idea in our heads at once. To be on more than one journey at a time. To be for something bigger than ourselves, while also still honoring and celebrating our inner needs.

What if what you share is what gives someone joy or the hope they needed in an otherwise difficult day?

Please let me know in the comments: do you feel it is easy to talk about your writing, or difficult? And if you are brave, tell me: what do you write and why?

For my paid subscribers this week, I shared mini-case study on what Cher teaches us about creative success. See a preview here.

Reminder: if you want to explore working with me, there are two ways I collaborate with writers and creators:

1. One-on-one consulting

2. My Creative Shift Mastermind, whose doors open up again in April

As always, thank you for being here with me.
-Dan

Kids of the Week: Our 7-year old was fascinated by seeing an electric typewriter for the first time. In the end, he decided he prefers his 1949 typewriter better:

Watching the Daytona 500, all shoved into the same chair: