A Very Belated Homework #2 (Magic School Story)
This was definitely the hardest homework to work through, particularly the Broca assignments, which is why I’m posting one of the first homeworks on the last day. :P But I finally have it to a place where I think it’s ready to share!
Step 1 - Look in the Mirror
What are your strengths?
Crafting moral dilemmas, coming up with unique story worlds, pulling off character suspense, crafting memorable side characters
What are you the best in your world at?
Tackling tough themes and wrestling with different answers to them
Why do readers pick other authors over you?
They want stories that actually deal with the problems they face in real life
Why do people read other similar stories rather than your story?
They want to connect more with the protagonist? This was a hard one to answer! My weakness as a writer tends to be in my prose since it’s more simple than elegant, but I’m not sure how much readers choose stories based on prose.
What do you do that exhausts you?
Line and stylistic edits!
What are your unfair advantages?
Growing up in conservative Christian circles has enabled me to know the various lines to keep in mind so I can tackle tricky topics for my audience in sensitive ways that won’t cross those lines and offend them.
What gives you the authority to write on the subject you’re writing on?
I spent years as a teacher dealing with school situations myself.
What gives you the authority to explore the themes in your writing
See above.
Step 2 - Look at Your Readers
Who is your target reader?
Christian millennials who grew up in the Church and are now wrestling through what it looks like to live faithfully as a young adult.
What does your target reader read currently?
They read a lot of mainstream authors like Brandon Sanderson, Leigh Bardugo, and Naomi Novik. They also may dabble in a few Christian authors like Nadine Brandes or Patrick Carr.
How is your target reader different from other readers?
They’re very open to Christian fantasy (though they may have had some bad experiences with it)—but they’re also fine with darkness in fiction (and may even prefer that compared with the standard Christian fiction experience).
Why does your target reader read books?
They want to experience relatable people thrust into challenging situations who need to make difficult choices in order to do the right thing.
How can you thrill your target reader?
Give them relatable protagonists and hard internal conflicts.
Step 3 - Listen to Your Readers
What do readers like about you?
They like the hard choices my protagonists face and how realistic their motivations and desires are.
What are the themes and topics that come up?
Realistic flaws for my characters and tough choices that they have to face
What words do they mention in their reviews?
“High-stakes moral decisions”, “real struggles and real responses to those struggles,” “how real the dilemmas were,” “twists and compelling characters”, “heartbreakingly tough decisions”
What do people say about you when they talk to each other?
I’m not really sure, aside from the previous words mentioned in their emails to me.
Step 4 - Look in Your Reader’s Mirror
What does my brand let my readers say about themselves?
They feel better empowered to face the brokenness of the world with confidence.
What tribe does this brand give me access to?
Christian millennials who grew up in the church.
Who are your outsiders?
Secular folks uninterested in religious themes, and Christians uninterested in sensitive or darker themes.
Homework For Jim’s Talk
What is the promise you are making your readers?
You will feel better empowered to face the brokenness of the world with confidence.
What comes to mind when people think of you?
An “old soul” who’s both intellectual and snarky.
What is the empathy you have for your readers?
I grew up enthralled by the bellowing fierceness of Beowulf, the heartfelt longings of the mythological Greek heroes, and the tragic nobility of the Arthurian knights. These characters gripped me with their heroic exploits. But their exploits didn’t come easy. They had to learn how to cling to joy amidst heartbreaking losses, stand courageously against a sea of troubles, and grapple honestly with the messiness of the world. I seek to feature characters who have to overcome these kinds of obstacles in order to be heroic.
What is the authority you have for your readers? What gives you the authority to write on the subject you’re writing on?
● My articles/reviews analyzing popular stories demonstrate my understanding of what authentic stories featuring relatable heroic dilemmas look like.
● I was a literature teacher for four years and spent a lot of time studying what great stories look like. I also carry the mindset of a teacher with me–one that wants to carefully explore the hard problems humans face, not oversimplify them.
● I have taught other writers at Story Embers and the Young Writer’s Workshop.
What gives you the authority to explore the themes in your writing
I spent several years as a high school English teacher working in the public schools. This enables me to accurately portray a magic school from a different perspective than most people have.
Who is your target reader? Describe them in one sentence:
It’s a Christian Millennial looking for entertaining stories that also empower them to face the real problems that plague their life.
To stand out, we must shock/surprise/delight Broca on a regular basis. How have you, or how are you going to, shock/surprise/delight Broca during the next three days?
Since I started this assignment weeks ago, putting together the first Office Hours Bingo card was one way I sought to do this
You know your brand has to be organic. What is different, unique, quirky, surprising about you that can/does define you as a person? How are you organically compelling?
This is what took me the most time to figure out over this course, but after reflecting on it for a bit, I’d say it’s an intellectual bent, a snarky sense of humor, a love for the literary classics, an ambition for tackling difficult problems, and an interest in thinking outside the box.
In what areas do you need to give yourself permission to be you?
Social media and my online presence
In what two areas are you going to focus on where you’ll make your content surprising/entertaining/provocative/engaging?
Social media and my newsletter would be my two primary areas of focus!