Reading the title, I guarantee that most of you are thinking this is going to have some connection to writing that might make you laugh or smile. You might consider that kind of a writer to be entertaining. Especially if you enjoy the work you are reading.

Truth is, every single person who works the word trade is an entertainer. Whether you realize it or not, the ultimate intention of having someone read your writing is to be entertained regardless of the emotion it might provoke. Even a simple product description is meant to be entertainment. A product description may be a factual guide to what the product is, or a review from a tester/consumer who wants to talk about how they are giving it minus 1 star out of a possible 5.

Engagement is entertainment. People writing books are working for the reader to be entertained. Everyone in this business dreams of having a book that can be knocked out of the park as a best seller. To have that million-selling piece of work be on the shelves with a best-seller label attached to it….because people have been entertained by it.

This has me thinking more about the revising process again. I’ve mentioned on these pages before that revising is one of the most enjoyable things about writing. There are moments when I literally have to walk away from something because I could revise forever. As part of the process, it’s worth asking yourself if a particular line is entertaining enough to you. Does it look good on the page/screen?

When it does, you move on to the next line. Repeat as necessary.

Entertain and engage yourself as you work. Keep writing and you will keep entertaining.

@WriterDann