Taming the Preacher Within

A fairly common issue I face in working with writers is a preachy tone. It seems to creep into writing, especially writing that is near and dear to the writer’s heart, or a topic the writer knows a lot about, or anything that is emotionally-charged. Unfortunately, it spells death to gaining readership.

Let’s talk about how to do away with this vice and make writing more palatable to the reader.

Be humble. Let’s face it, a preachy tone often stems from a prideful spirit. Take the pride test: If your predominant thought as you write is, “I’m right, you’re wrong,” you’re operating in pride. It’s wise to take a moment before writing anything and pray, asking God to remove all pride so you can humbly present your case.

Teach, don’t preach. A preacher is commandment-oriented. “This is the command. Do it!” A teacher is people-oriented. A preacher spews out information and let’s the cards fall where they may. A teacher seeks to present the information in a way the student can understand.

Focus on your audience. This goes along with being a teacher. Instead of focusing on yourself, shine the spotlight on your reader. Who is your reader? What does that person need or desire? How can you present the information in a way that is palatable to your reader?

Take “I” out of it. Make sure your work isn’t riddled with statements like:
”In my opinion…”
”I think that…”
”It’s my belief that…”
Too many of these and you’ll come across as self-absorbed.

Take “you” out of it. Have you ever been in a church where the preacher constantly talked about all the things “you” ought to do? How did it make you feel? Did you feel condemned as if somehow the preacher was on a superior level to “you"?” That’s how your reader feels when you constantly point the finger at “you.”

Be respectful of others. Don’t use other people for all of your bad examples. If at all possible, find something from your own life to use as the example of someone doing something the wrong way. This makes you human to the reader and saves the reputation of others. If you must use another as your example, do so discreetly and with anonymity.

Don’t write when you’re emotional. Hurt, offense, anger, pain, embarrassment, discouragement, and PMS lend themselves to preachy writing. When you’re emotional, write in your journal, not for the public.

Write unto others as you would have them write unto you. Do you like to read preachy, dogmatic writing? Neither does your reader. Write in the style that you would most like to read.

Your reader may not always agree with you. In fact, if you write about controversial matters, you are sure to ruffle some feathers. But even in those instances, you can write in a tone that is humble, not preachy. And even your enemies will respect you for that.