Do You Have a Writer's Mission?
Setting intention & understanding your "why?" to motivate your author career.
Yesterday, I attended the Adamah Summit, a conference about Jewish environmental work and values. It’s something I’ve been interested in for a long time and, as an amateur gardener, I’m always looking to build my skills.
(By the way, my next novel, I LOVE YOU, CHARLIE TANNER, which comes out in May 2025, features gardening as a theme for grieving and for building identity.)
But the reason I’m writing about this today is that at the summit, I attended a session about what makes food “fit to eat.” There were a lot of interesting insights, and the speakers wove concern for the way food is grown, packaged, produced, and how the people in that cycle are treated and supported, with Jewish dietary laws.
Yet no one said anything about the inherent privilege in being able to make choices about what food you purchase and consume based on your values and beliefs.
They did, however, mention the ethics of food, and I raised my hand at the end to ask a question about whether anyone recognized the inherent privilege in being able to be selective about what foods you consume—holding out for organic, purchasing kosher-approved items, etc.
Not everyone has this privilege. And while the speakers mentioned that Jewish ethics mandate that we make the world better, I wondered how those of us with means have a responsibility to help those without attain the same choices and access.
In Judaism, there is a concept known as tikkun olam, repairing the world. One speaker yesterday said that food fuels the body, whose purpose it is to make the world better.
And now I’m getting to my point.
Purpose. Intention. Mission.
Things most of us never consider with regard to our daily decisions.
Purpose. Intention. Mission.
Things most of us never consider when writing a book.
I believe we’re all obligated to make a difference in some meaningful way. So, dear writers, what is the purpose-intention-mission of your writing? How will your book, your essay, your poem make a difference in the world?
It might change the way you go about writing it, or even make it easier to write, if you can articulate a vision for your writing.
Finding your why, making meaning, these are pursuits that can amplify the energy for a project. Me, I’m dedicated to creating compelling Jewish characters in stories with wide appeal—and this mission pumps enthusiasm into my projects.
I hosted the Make Meaning Podcast for five years, and its entire mission was to find out how people make meaning in life and find purpose in work. I spoke to some amazing people over the years, and their insights became revelations for me, impacting my life and work in powerful ways.
You can do that, too, when you write. Even moreso when you consider the purpose behind your writing, the impact you want to have, how you might just make the world a little better with your words.
Book Tour Updates
This week, I’ll be speaking about my novel, CAVE OF SECRETS, in Greensboro, North Carolina, at Temple Emanuel. Then, my youngest son and I will be off to visit the Boone campus of Appalachian State University, where he’ll be starting college in the fall.
(By the way, CAVE OF SECRETS is now 99 cents on Kindle for a limited time!!)
I’ve been super busy speaking to reader-audiences lately. Big thanks to the book clubs in West Bloomfield and Livingston County, Michigan that invited me out in recent weeks to discuss CAVE OF SECRETS. Also to Qesher and to the Windsor, Ontario Jewish Book Fair. Thanks in advance to Temple Emanuel and the Jewish community of Greensboro—see you all tomorrow! (If you’re nearby, COME!)
Sunday, I’ll be speaking virtually to Smashing Life Book Club. Details here. And check out my entire Events calendar for upcoming opportunities to hear me speak live.
Finally, I’ll be in Dallas in January for 4 amazing speaking engagements, including this class below at The Writer’s Garret. I’d love it if you’d join me.
And, if you’re a poet looking for a mini-MFA opportunity to hone your craft and produce a chapbook of poems, please join me for a very special intimate program that begins in January. Details here.
Thank you for reading Lynne Golodner’s Rebel Author Newsletter. Starting in December, this newsletter will publish twice-monthly—on the 1st and the 15th of each month—to not bombard your email inbox, and to keep the conversation going about writing and publishing. If you like what you read here, please consider becoming a paid subscriber, sharing this with others who might find it of value, or leaving a comment.