‘Why’ You Write Is ‘Why’ They’ll Keep Reading

In this essay, I want us to reconnect with our core intents.

Every writer hits that moment: the plot stalls, the characters go quiet, the pages stop piling up. And, if you’re honest, pantser or plotter, it’s not just the book that is stuck.

You’re stuck!

How could that be? It happens when the why behind the writing gets buried under the what. The what is essential for sure: word count goals, market categories, twists, arcs, outcomes.

But the why is your ignition. It’s the fire under the story. And if you’ve lost your fire, the readers feel it. They’ll sense hesitation. Ultimately, they’ll put the book down.

Here’s your writing Success Point for the day: to get unstuck, you must reconnect, not with the story itself, but with your original reason for writing the story. Don’t think about the pitch, the final product (the manuscript), or the deadline. Think about the reason why the idea for this book chose you.

Maybe it was something you needed to heal. Perhaps it was something the world needed to hear. Maybe it was the truth you couldn’t say until now. Whatever it is, write that into your scene today. Fall into it. Let it shape the conflict. Let it pulse under your protagonist’s choices. Let it push your antagonist’s desires. Let it crack the surface of your dialogue. Don’t aim to be perfect with this. Aim for the truth.

When you write from that place, the truth, something shifts. When you remember the why, momentum returns. You’ll find that the next scene unfolds. Most importantly, you’ll find that both you and, eventually, the reader will lean in.

Neither you nor your reader just wants a plot. You want purpose. You and they want to feel that someone behind the curtain means what they say.

Here’s your challenge: before you write another line today, pause for just a moment. Ask yourself, why does this story matter to me? Then let that truth guide your fingers because it is that truth that answers the question, why is this story important to my reader?

Readers don’t stay with you because your story is flawless. Readers stay with you because they sense you mean it. And that meaning, that purpose, that why, is contagious.

Let them catch it.

You catch it. And you’ll be back to zipping away on your manuscript in no time.

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