Does Your First Draft Read Like a Monologue? Here’s How to Make It a Conversation.

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

So you’ve written a few chapters or maybe even completed a full first draft.

Congratulations! Be sure to celebrate the win with a high five, happy dance, cocktail… whatever makes your heart sing. Taking this much-earned break, along with a deep breath, is wise before diving into revisions.

When you return to your manuscript, everything might be just as brilliant as you thought it was when you wrote it. If so, feel free to repeat your celebration of choice and get on with finishing the manuscript or tidying it up.

But if something feels off — which is fairly common with a first draft — you might wonder how to fix it. Maybe the pace seems too fast or too slow, or the writing feels stiff, or the content comes across as, well… distant somehow. If you can’t quite put your finger on the cause, the problem could be that you’ve unwittingly put more emphasis on writing about something, rather than for someone.

Why is my draft not working?

Many writers blame discord within their manuscript on either its content or its writing. That makes sense, because a book needs to be strong in both areas in order to be successful. For example, without a fresh argument, compelling data, and a promising solution written in easy-to-digest language, an advice-based book will come off as generic. Without a deftly coiled plot burnished by evocative prose that balances tension and telling details, a novel will fall flat.

This is when aspiring authors oftentimes sigh — and begin rewriting, sometimes for years, fine-tuning a prescriptive framework or narrative arc, only to be stymied by a still-present sense of “something’s not working.”

A more effective approach is to delve into the common denominator of content and writing: the reader. Without careful attunement to your reader — whether you’re writing a memoir, romantasy, self-help, or a spiritual book — you risk creating a manuscript that underperforms in both areas.

Why? Because the best writing is a conversation, not a monologue. Successful books engage the reader, hold their attention, and speak directly to them. When your book is for someone, rather than just about something, the content and writing take on greater purpose, responsibility, and energy.

What is the monologue effect?

The monologue effect is a peculiar sense of distance created between a body of written work and its reader. It happens when the reader is not placed central to the writing process, when the focus is on the content — the facts (in nonfiction) or the storyline (in fiction) — versus on the human with an emotional investment in what you’re writing. The monologue effect is often the root cause of manuscripts that feel off-kilter.

To make your writing multidimensional, conversation with the reader is key.

What is the antidote for the monologue effect?

Conversation is the best medicine for the monologue effect. We don’t mean literally adding dialogue to your manuscript, though that’s a perfectly welcome element to any book. We mean figuratively having dialogue with your reader while you’re writing. This conversation, then, is what gets written between the lines. In essence, you’re aiming to make the reader feel seen and heard — because you’ve been listening to them from the get-go.

A helpful way to start a conversation is to think carefully and deeply about why the reader will buy your book. Their reason will likely center around their needs and hopes: “I need this book to teach me about investing” or “I want to really feel what it was like to flee Tibet following China’s annexation.” Equipped with this vital insight, you can then meet their expectations throughout your manuscript, not just at the end, making for a more layered reading experience.

An exceptionally common trap, especially with a first-time writer, is to see oneself as the target reader. If that’s true for you, your target reader is an audience of one — and you’re back at the monologue effect.

How do I shift to a more reader-centric approach?

If you’ve been writing a plot- or topic-driven manuscript for some time, shifting to a reader-centric approach can take some getting used to. Here are some tips:

• Develop a reader profile. If you’re writing fiction, you may have completed this time-tested exercise for your characters. If you come from the business world, you may be familiar with creating personas based on your ideal customers. To start, bring to mind the person you see most benefiting from your book. Note identifying features such as gender, profession, age, and race. Imagine their hobbies, what keeps them up at night, and what’s in their fridge. Even if you expect your book to appeal to several types of people, for now, concentrate on envisioning one primary target reader in nuanced detail.
• Invite potential readers to coffee. Meet with people, preferably in real life, to reinforce (or revise) your reader profile. Ask them what they like about the genre in which you’re writing, what their favorite books are and why, and what they expect from a book. Find out what makes them recommend a book to a friend, or never finish it. These insights will make it easier to deliver what readers want and expect.
• See your reader as the main character. Whether you are writing nonfiction or fiction, realize that the reader is always the hero. This goes for memoir too, wherein you may see yourself as the main character. No matter the genre, attuning to your reader with empathy and respect ensures that they will connect more deeply to your book.
• Converse often with your reader. Once you have a well-rounded idea of who your reader is, hold imaginary conversations with them. Anything is fair game: Is this chapter too long? Does this vignette feel like a tangent? Do I need to define this term? Is this character interesting enough? When you ask your reader, instead of yourself, you will get the right answer every time.

How will I know my manuscript is a conversation?

Your manuscript becomes a conversation when, at any time, you can invite your real or imagined reader to sit next to you as write, and they become your coauthor. Let them have a say in how things play out, push back on some of your impulses, and spark your curiosity. When you have a “you” to write to, your manuscript will feel infused with vitality because there’s a reader behind your words that guided it to meet their expectations.

When you know what makes your target reader tune in and tune out, you’ve stumbled on gold. And that’s a conversation worth maintaining.