Cardiology for Writers
Every company has something intangible that drives it. Something that doesn’t speak to investors per se, but to people. This something shares commonality with every great book. We’re talking about a mission statement.
A mission statement is the heart of what the company is all about. Patagonia is a company that makes outdoor clothing and gear. They sell that clothing and gear to you. You know what their company’s mission is?
“We’re in business to save our home planet.”
We know what Patagonia sells, but with this piece of information, we’re learning a lot more about the heart behind the business. It speaks to sustainability, high-minded ideals, a comfort in home and sustenance. When we learned this mission statement, we were pleasantly surprised!
Other companies may surprise you with their own mission statements, but today we want to talk about our own.
And it’s not to simply sell some books!
Photo by Jose Antonio Alba
The Heart Behind the Publisher
First, we want to publish great stories. We wrote about this in our introduction blog - Meet HSP - and that will forever remain true. We want stories that inspire and move you, that make you instantly crave more.
Behind every one of the stories you love is a team.
This could be as small as a single indie author who designed their own cover, did their own marketing, wrote their own book, and then somehow got it into your hands. It could be a team like ours, with editors, social media gurus, producers, and writers. It could be a huge trad publishing company, with hundreds of people working in tandem.
No matter how you look at it, publishing is a people business.
We also know that being a writer is a solitary gig for most of the time. When someone claims “I’m going to write a book,” the money fairy doesn’t come and provide regular cheques. Most writers have to juggle work and social life, then find time to squirrel away at their desk and come up with 100,000 awesome words.
That takes time. It takes even more time to be great at it.
Writers of the world, we see you. We know this game. We want to support you. We want to champion you. We want to see you succeed - whether you’re publishing with us, or not!
Helping writers succeed doesn’t feel like it fully represents us, HoneySpot Productions, as a team. We don’t want to limit ourselves to helping out writers, because this long-standing industry is big and vast, and filled with so many unique and talented people. Influencers, publishers, marketers, publicists, artists, distributors, shop owners, and readers alike.
Where there’s a book involved, we see a team.
We see a community.
Photo by Bob Dmyt
What Community Means
A community is a group of people that work together to thrive.
HoneySpot Productions wants to foster the literary community and empower everyone to THRIVE. We want to champion you and cheer you on. We want to see your name in the papers, to see your books in the hands of our loved ones.
We want to see our books there, too!
With this in mind, our mission statement takes shape. We want to be a positive force in the literary community. We spoke of inspiring readers - but we can take that even farther. Let’s inspire everyone we cross paths with. Let’s offer advice if we have it. Let’s share our secrets to success - because that will, inevitably, give the world more great stories!
HSP at its heart builds communities.
Photo by Greg Reese
The Heart behind the Story
Let’s talk writing! If you’ve ever gotten notes from an editor or agent, you’ve probably been asked this fundamental question: “What are your intentions with this story?” They’re not asking if you want to make boatloads of money on it - of course you would - they’re asking about the heart of the writing. If you wrote a story about a little girl in the hospital, and your goal was to be inspiring and moving, then your feedback will be geared to landing with the most emotional impact possible.
Same if you’re writing a YA fantasy novel - if the goal is to have an adventure that leaves you reeling, and questioning your own fate, then the notes will help you land on that.
Behind every story is intention, whether you know yours or not. Great movies know their intention and stick the landing with such impressive force that it looks impossibly easy. Great books do the same thing!
If you’re writing your own book right now, and haven’t put thought into your intention (or the emotional impact you want your story to create), then it's high time you grabbed a blank piece of paper and got introspective.
What draws you to this story? What do you hope the world sees from it? What do you want people to feel as they read it? What about afterwards?
Identify the heart of your story. Don’t confuse it with your big idea or your climax - these aren’t the same things. But know the heart of it. When you get frustrated, the heart of the story is what’s inspiring you to write (whether subconscious or not). When you can express it, people will notice. People lead rich inner lives, and when you can speak to that which hides within us all - our hearts - people understand.
That’s why story is so universal.
You’ll see us speak about the heart of what we are looking for often as we move forward. The heart of the story is what drives the author to write it, and the reader to share it afterwards. It’s what connects us emotionally.
Photo by Jill Wellington
You have your homework. Enjoy it. If you can’t seem to figure out the heart of what you’re doing, don’t fret. For writers who haven’t done this exercise, it’s like a foreign language. You know what you’re trying to say somewhere deep down, but that’s not happening. Just do your best, and settle for a mediocre draft. For now. Come back in two weeks, and try again. You’ll hone it into something that rings true. You’ll learn the language of the heart.
