How Writers Can Share From Experience Instead of Giving Advice
No one wants to be told what to do
Please stop telling me what to do. Eat kale chips to lose weight. Eliminate these words to become a better writer. I get turned off by headlines dictating what I am supposed to do to improve my life. No one else walks in my shoes.
Self-help articles are all the rage right now. Some draw me in, and I absorb every word. Others push me away.
I am magnetically attracted to articles when authors share from their own experiences. Direct advice repels me. No one wants to be told what to do.
Authors inspire, motivate, and transform readers by sharing their stories and challenges. Readers search for value, not for advice. We want to learn from others but not be bossed around. Direct advice may be helpful for some but may alienate and antagonize others.
No one knows what it is like to walk in someone else’s shoes.
Advice articles activate our defense mechanisms. Instruction is uni-directional, forcing readers to determine whether or not the guidance applies to them. This or that. My way or the…
