Day #2 - Homework For Thomas’ Talk - Sue Shigemitsu
Step 1 - Look in the Mirror
What are your strengths?
● I am bilingual in English and in Japanese.
● I have lived in other countries and experienced their cultures.
● I remember stories and can retell it based on the audiences’ interest.
● I remember details of an individual or an event with a significant detail (i.e., a scent of a perfume, piece of jewellery, or a distinct feature).
What are you the best in your world at?
● Remembering stories from folklore, mythology, Bible stories, other people’s stories, and experiences.
Why do readers pick other authors over you?
● They choose something that they are familiar with or prefer a writing style they are comfortable with.
Why do people read other similar stories rather than your story?
● My stories are fantasy with Japanese folklore elements laced with themes from the Bible.
What do you do that exhausts you?
● I stress over small things and a people pleaser. I put a lot of pressure on myself that I have to get things done right.
What are your unfair advantages?
● I have published three times (including self-publishing), won a runners-up award at a writing contest for a writers guild, experienced living in other cultures, written stories since early teens, and have God as a shisho (Japanese word for “master/teacher”).
What gives you the authority to write on the subject you’re writing on?
● I grew up reading a lot of fiction (especially folklore and fairytales), while studying the Bible. I had difficulty making friends and I found an escape with those books.
What gives you the authority to explore the themes in your writing?
● When I was young, I struggled with this to the point of going to a dark place when I could not see a reason to live (and this was during my walk with Christ). After a long battle of seeking Christ, holding Him to His promise, I finally found a reason to live. The themes I explore in writing are for those like me who are Christians but are struggling in a world where they are taught the philosophy in school or community (outside of church) that the world is all there is – no one cares enough to help you. I write to encourage that life is worth living because God cares enough to give us hope and help – we just need to say “yes” and take it.
Step 2 - Look at Your Readers
Who is your target reader?
● Ages ranging from young adults and up. Those who are lonely, rejected, or are outcasts in society that find solace in fiction and anime.
What does your target reader read currently?
● Harry Potter, graphic novels, Japanese light novels (mainly on Isekai – being transported to another world), fiction, fantasy, mystery, and travel books (written by travellers).
How is your target reader different from other readers?
● They are those who feel awkward and can’t seem to (or don’t know how to) fit in. They feel unwelcome to be just themselves so they seek places or read books that give them that place of solace.
Why does your target reader read books?
● To escape and find solace from their harsh reality. To remind them that they are loved and welcome as they are and that they are not alone.
How can you thrill your target reader?
● Visuals (eye-catching cover design, world maps, illustrations) and provide details about the world that are blended into the storytelling as the reader follows the characters sharing in their POV during those adventures (i.e., experiencing various cultures, trying different technologies, tasting food and drink, etc.).
Step 3 - Listen to Your Readers
What do readers like about you?
● Imaginative
● Full of details
● Heartwarming
What are the themes and topics that come up?
● Encouragement.
● Brightness (cheerfulness?).
● Insight.
● Heartwarming.
● Creative
● Imaginative.
What words do they mention in their reviews?
● Imaginative with many fanciful details.
● Warms the heart.
● Enchanting.
● Brighten your day.
● Enjoyable.
● Mystical.
What do people say about you when they talk to each other?
● A good listener.
● My smile brightens their day.
● Creative.
● I go the extra mile for them.
● A hard worker.
● Empathetic.
● Knowledgeable.
Step 4 - Look in Your Reader’s Mirror
What does my brand let my readers say about themselves?
● That they are not alone in the world and there are others like them, that they are loved by God regardless of their background.
What tribe does this brand give me access to?
● Those who are outcasts and lonely, who are unique in their own way but cannot seem to fit in because they are different in their own community. As well as those who love anime and fantasy.
Who are your outsiders?
● The hikikomori (Japanese word for a group of people who shut themselves out from society because they cannot fit in), the dreamers, the lonely, the outcasts, the foreigners, and those who want to read about Christ and His love in fantasy.