What Is An Author’s Foundational Principle?

 

We all need foundational principles and truths to operate from, a place where all other actions and decisions are filtered through. Authors are no different.

Think about it. You approach life being driven by what kind of motto, mantra, code, law, ethic, value, or principle? From what concept or belief does all else get defined by?

Some will say they live in accordance with their faith or religion. Others will say their family comes first. Others put their job or money as their No. 1. Some combine some type of approach to life by putting animals first or making their fandom for something or someone a priority.

If we have enough interests, our values can clash internally. If it is family first, what is your priority order — parents, spouse, kids, siblings, others? If you are a Marine, it is God, country, and family - but again, in what order and to what degree?

The ordering of values and the testing of each value has kept philosophers at it for centuries and millennia across the globe. We won’t have any resolution to that question today, if ever, but it is sufficient to say that authors would benefit from having a hierarchy of values and a single value or principle that all of their writing emanates from and gets measured by.

An author needs moral and professional clarity to write, but often our minds are cluttered and our souls torn by competing needs, desires, opinions, and experiences. We write from the heart, driven by some sense of right and wrong, good vs evil, hope vs despair, and love vs hate. A good writer will run through a spectrum of thoughts.

We will get lost at some point, finding our moral compass broken and wrestling with choices that leave us feeling uncomfortable. Writers look to advocate for the best view but often find themselves questioning everything and everyone to the point it is hard to convince themselves of where to take a definitive stand.

All foundational principles get refined by their exceptions. One is against abortion except in cases of rape or incest. One wants to ban many drugs but keep alcohol legal. One wants free speech but not speech that endangers someone. One believes in love, but not in people who hurt you. One believes in peace, but not when they have been attacked. One believes in upholding the law, but not if it means their kid goes to jail.

So, too, do writers have guiding viewpoints as it relates to how and what they write, along with exceptions, contradictions, challenging conflicts, and outright hypocrisy. How do they develop a founding principle to operate from?

For instance, what is your foundational principle as it relates to the type of writing that you do, including genre, style, level of vocabulary, and uniqueness?

What is an author’s foundational principle when it comes to a commitment to writing? Will one set aside a certain amount of time or pages written per day? Where does writing rank on one’s list of priorities? And to what degree will a writer edit and research in order to ensure quality and factual writing will follow?

Then, what is your foundational principle towards getting published? What will you do to seek out a publisher?

Lastly, what is your foundational principle as it relates to marketing and promoting? How much time, money, mindshare, and effort will you dedicate and commit to marketing your brand and promoting your books?

I only seem to have questions. Start formulating your answers so that you won’t flounder as a writer. Form your foundational principles and go from there. 

 

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Brian Feinblum, the founder of this award-winning blog, with over 3.9 million page views, can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com  He is available to help authors promote their story, sell their book, and grow their brand. He has over 30 years of experience in successfully helping thousands of authors in all genres. Let him be your advocate, teacher, and motivator!

 

About Brian Feinblum

Brian Feinblum should be followed on www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2024. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog. His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent.  This award-winning blog has generated over 3.9 million pageviews. With 4,900+ posts over the past dozen years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs by BookBaby  http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs  and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” For the past three decades, including 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and director of publicity positions at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler. He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, Morgan James Publishing, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. His first published book was The Florida Homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook.  It was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.