Writing with Purpose

Mark Twain

Writing is filled with many moments of self-doubt, but if an author connects with a genuine inspirational goal or purpose for their material, then the chapters and characters pour forth with passion. The trick is to come to some subconscious or conscious realization that your writing means something to you personally. Your point of view, your perspective on life, your concerns for society, politics, or humanity seep into your pages and paragraphs. Dialogues become conflicts or humorous exchanges, because you want someone to actually read them and understand your likes and dislikes, or your hidden disappointments and triumphs in life. In other words, strong writing does not emerge from a vacuum.

Maya Anjelou

Most poets and novelists are very emotional, sensitive observers, like Maja Anjelou or Robert Frost. They often have responsive, reflective personalities. Some are more critical and cynical, while others are witty and playful, such as Oscar Wilde with his The Importance of Being Ernest and Mark Twain with Huckleberry Finn. Whatever the underlying tone of the material, the story emerges from the passionate need of the writer to get the job done, to express ideas from the center of his or her being. If you feel strongly about an issue, such as civil rights, political injustice, animal cruelty, warfare, child abuse, or hypocrisy in government, try writing an ice-breaking short story to free your passionate observations about human behavior.

Charles Dickens

A short story will often set the stage for a larger work, as it compels the writer to create a few key characters and a juicy setting. Sometimes a good first chapter of a full length novel will do the same thing, leading the reader into a realm of enchantment or a time in history in which a drama or romance springs to life. The opening scene in Shakespeare's MacBeth is a perfect example of an author establishing a mood that grips an audience, wrapping them up in a journey of blind ambition and corrupt behavior. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee is also a terrific example of a book written with serious intent, bringing social injustice to the forefront of  literature. A controversial but wildly popular novel, the tale exposes social wrongs with its plot and dialogue. Sometimes a writer will go overboard with their concerns, but for the most part, great books stand upon great ideas, like George Orwell's 1984, or Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451. Charles Dickens was also full of passion and purpose when he wrote of England's corruption and indifference to poverty in A Christmas Carol and Oliver Twist.

Ray Bradbury

If you feel strongly about a subject, your writing will show it, but you must give yourself permission to write from your heart. Talent is a gift. Technique is an achievement. Think of passion as the helmsmen of these two sides of your boat. Go ahead and stand by your captain, and let the journey begin! Civilization needs thoughtful writers, like you.

Harper Lee