Jul 6, 2026 · 46 min · 15 segments
We love books about books, and bestselling Canadian author Emily Austin’s latest novel *Is This a Cry for Help?* explores the subject through the lens of a librarian returning to the job after a…
Emily AustinGuestValerie KhooHostNat NewmanOkay, now I want to let you in on a small trick that I use whenever a piece of writing just kind of won't come that easily.
You know, when the words feel like a bit stiff or a bit formal or just not working.
I stop trying to write for everyone, right? I stop thinking of the audience out there or the readership out there.
Years ago, when I was writing a column, I noticed that some weeks the writing flowed and some weeks, well, it just didn't, right? And that was really annoying.
And when I went back and looked at the good ones, they kind of had something in common without realizing it.
I could practically see her face and I knew what would, you know, make her laugh and what she'd raise an eyebrow at or where she'd want me to hurry up and get to the point or where she just didn't flat out didn't understand what I was writing.
It was addressed to her because that just, I just, it was just something I did instinctively, I guess.
The thing is an audience, like a whole giant, giant audience is a difficult thing to write for.
I mean, some people might find it easy, but if you find it difficult, then, you know, yeah, that's valid because an audience is this faceless crowd in a dark room kind of thing.
And the moment you picture it, you kind of start performing and you reach for maybe that impressive word or you try too hard to be funny or you explain things that maybe don't need explaining.
But when you're writing for one person, maybe one person that you love or one person that you are just really close to or familiar with or you're comfortable with, that changes everything because you relax and you get specific and you leave in the joke only they would get and you tell the truth because you're not, you know, like performing in front of this large faceless crowd.
Take the next thing you sit down to write, whether that's a chapter or a scene or maybe an email you've been dreading, whatever, and pick one real person to write it for.
Picture them in the room, then write it as though it's only ever going to be read by them.
Because the strange thing is this, when you write for one person, you somehow end up Reaching, well, way more than that one person, right? Way more.
And nobody understood that better than this week's graduate who tucked an entire layer of his book away for two very special readers.
Okay, now I want to let you in on a small trick that I use whenever a piece of writing just kind of won't come that easily.
You know, when the words feel like a bit stiff or a bit formal or just not working.
I stop trying to write for everyone, right? I stop thinking of the audience out there or the readership out there.
Years ago, when I was writing a column, I noticed that some weeks the writing flowed and some weeks, well, it just didn't, right? And that was really annoying.
And when I went back and looked at the good ones, they kind of had something in common without realizing it.
I could practically see her face and I knew what would, you know, make her laugh and what she'd raise an eyebrow at or where she'd want me to hurry up and get to the point or where she just didn't flat out didn't understand what I was writing.
It was addressed to her because that just, I just, it was just something I did instinctively, I guess.
The thing is an audience, like a whole giant, giant audience is a difficult thing to write for.
I mean, some people might find it easy, but if you find it difficult, then, you know, yeah, that's valid because an audience is this faceless crowd in a dark room kind of thing.
And the moment you picture it, you kind of start performing and you reach for maybe that impressive word or you try too hard to be funny or you explain things that maybe don't need explaining.
But when you're writing for one person, maybe one person that you love or one person that you are just really close to or familiar with or you're comfortable with, that changes everything because you relax and you get specific and you leave in the joke only they would get and you tell the truth because you're not, you know, like performing in front of this large faceless crowd.
Take the next thing you sit down to write, whether that's a chapter or a scene or maybe an email you've been dreading, whatever, and pick one real person to write it for.
Picture them in the room, then write it as though it's only ever going to be read by them.
Because the strange thing is this, when you write for one person, you somehow end up Reaching, well, way more than that one person, right? Way more.
And nobody understood that better than this week's graduate who tucked an entire layer of his book away for two very special readers.
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