Monday 27 July 2020

How to answer the biggest question writers get asked ...

If you're a writer reading this, you've probably been asked this question as many times as I have.

What do you write?

It's a question that writers get asked because it's a way of connecting with our art; with our ability. It's a way to pigeon-hole what we do and get a sense of who we're like, helping others to understand what we put on the page. It's a way of picturing what we do as an output.

Over the years I've found that people's engagement with that question - outside of the infuriatingly common 'I'm going to write a book one day' - depends on my answer. If I answer by genre, the conversation is short. "You write contemporary? Great! <cue silence>" That's also taking into consideration that I don't really have a clear genre. My novels are set in contemporary society, but with an edge of magical realism. They're kind-of contemporary, and kind-of speculative, but not fully either. That shows in the award nominations I've received in the past two years in the USA - they're across a range of categories.

I've also answered that question by the style of my work. I did that for a while - saying that I wrote short(ish) novels. Or I write modern-day parables, which are essentially what The Baggage Handler, The Camera Never Lies and Where the Road Bends are.

But how do you get people interested in what you write, particularly if you're a Christian writer with a message to share? I've now changed how I answer that question, and it's based on a deeper question than 'why do you write?' That question I delve into is WHY I write.

So now when people ask what I write, I respond with something a bit deeper: "I write stories that help people look a little deeper into life." Or "I write stories that ask questions about the reader's life." That's opened up a whole new way of talking about my novels, and it also gets to the heart of what I consider my ministry as a Christian writer. Now a conversation will go:

"What do you write, David?"

"I write stories that help people look a little deeper into life."

"Oh ... what do you mean by that?"

"Well, The Baggage Handler is about three people forced to face the baggage they didn't know they were carrying ..."

And then a conversation breaks out about dealing with ... stuff. The person on the other end of the conversation almost always talks about the baggage a friend of theirs is carrying ... and we're having a deep conversation. It's a way to introduce the values I write about without being pigeon-holed - especially by those who don't respect Christian fiction. (And in my experience that is more common  from those inside the church, which I find sad).


So how do you answer that question of what you write? What answer could you give that opens up all sorts of conversations about the work that you bring to the world?

About David Rawlings

David Rawlings is an award-winning author based in South Australia. His first novel, The Baggage Handler, published by HarperCollins Christian Publishing, was named best debut Christian novel of 2019 in the Christy Awards. He writes modern-day parables that combine the everyday with a sense of the speculative, addressing the fundamental questions we all face. His third novel - Where the Road Bends - is now out. 

You can find David at:


11 comments:

  1. Great idea David. I love it! I'm going to sit down and think up my new response right now. Thanks!!!

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    1. A pleasure Cindy. I think it's worth a different response just to see what people do with it.

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  2. Good thought, David. I write fiction that encourages and inspires (I hope).

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    1. You do Meredith. And I think that has a bit more intrigue as a conversation starter than romance/contemporary/Christian fiction. :)

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  3. Great responses, David--thank you. I've tried to say something similar over the years, depending on the setting. I've discovered something like you now say is much better than 'Oh I write fiction' because sometimes I have then been asked, 'So … are these stories … true?' And I'm never quite sure WHAT to say then!

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    1. Thanks Jo-Anne. I always say 'sure, but I won't tell you which part'. It also works if people ask if characters are based on them.

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  4. Great advice, David, with practical application. I'll be thinking more deeply about my response to that question. I write fiction, creative non-fiction, and poetry, so I've had to ponder an appropriate tag line for my planned website upgrade that covers my genre butterfly tendencies and clarifies my answer to the very question you mention.

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  5. A good answer, David. Your snappy sentence sums up your purpose, style, and subjects very well. I'm playing with a similar answer but still working on it.

    So far, I've come up with words and phrases but need to distill them down. Great post, thank you for sharing your answer.

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  6. Great idea, David. I'm currently fielding questions about that as my release date approaches, but I don't fit into a set genre either. I've been saying something like 'It's inspirational historical fiction, with mystery, adventure, suspense and romantic elements'. May have to rethink that after reading your post and think more about theme and the questions raised. Thanks :)

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  7. I love that answer David. Especially that it generates discussion like that. Food for thought.

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  8. "I write stories that help people look a little deeper into life." Excellent - Thanks for that. Means a lot more than saying 'biblical speculative fiction'.

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