(How to) Write for the Sweet Spot

“Can you give me some pointers with writing my blog?” Lorraine was the third Client to ask for help with writing last week. Lisa asked for help with article-writing, and Pam was working on web-copy. I was happy to share my golden rules for : How to write an article that hits the sweet spot and motivates action! Here they are for you!

Whether it’s writing your blog, articles, or web copy, or penning your book, there are some golden rules you can follow to ensure your words create an authentic connection followed by a spark to move your reader towards inspiration, action, and movement. If you know how to approach every work you craft, you’ll have the ability to generate positive transformation easily and effortlessly. Here are some of the key points to consider every time you sit down to write.

Before I write I prepare myself by seeking clarity and connection. The way I do that is through quiet meditation. If you’re thinking to yourself, “I don’t have time,” let me reassure you that this is a rapid process (usually!) that saves hours in the long run.

I’ve never had “writer’s block” using this strategy. Never. I believe the reasons to be:

1. I am clear about my highest purpose and intention for whatever it is I am about to create, and
2. I spend time in mindful appreciation of my reader and what exactly my reader wants and needs to discover.
You can find clarity through exercise, including walking, swimming, yoga, surfing, martial arts, running, or whatever sport you prefer. Often exercise heralds a meditative state for me, as well as setting off a sequence of feel-good hormones that carries through the work.

When I refer to connection, I mean connection with the wise part of yourself; with the divine source; with the needs, wants, and deepest hidden desires of your potential reader. A neat distinction is to connect with the child-self of your reader, which is based on the idea that the beliefs and values that steer our lives were set in place before we were seven years of age.

1. Identify what you are burning to convey or what’s uppermost in your mind regarding the topic you are called to write about. Define your highest intention for writing the piece. And know what you intend the outcome of writing the piece to be.
2. Identify what your readers and clients want. The most effective way to do this (in addition to market research, surveys, and direct questioning) is to imagine your ideal reader. Choose someone who would be your ideal reader and put yourself in their skin. What does he or she really want? What words do they use naturally to talk about what they want?
3. Once you have identified your reader’s highest intention, greatest purpose, and perceived fears,identify the qualities, resources, and knowledge they need in order to achieve their ultimate purpose. If you’re intending to sell or motivate positive transformation or movement, find a way to anchor the qualities they need (such as confidence, calm, and certainty) and the resources and knowledge they need and want to YOUR IDEAS, YOUR SOLUTIONS, and YOUR SYSTEMS. (If you aren’t clear on your systems or solutions, talk to me! I help people develop their unique systems.)
4. Your solutions and systems are the pathways to what your readers and clients want.
5. State your reader’s highest purpose clearly and then tie your solution or system to their desired qualities, resources, and knowledge. You’ll satisfy their purpose by applying this step.
6. Link your systems and solutions to your client’s greatest “why” or purpose. Do this for every piece of training and writing you deliver.
7. For every sentence, paragraph, article, and chapter you write ask, “How is this piece essential?”
I look forward to reading your stories of how you’ve moved your readers to engage, inspire, sell and create positive change by applying these golden rules!

To your magnificence!