Pipher, Mary. (2006). Writing to Change the World. New York: Berkley. ISBN: 978-1-59448-253-3. paperback. $14.00
Probably the most common reason writers give for why they write is that they want to make an impact on other people, change the way people think or feel. Mary Pipher dissects how to best achieve this by going into the psychology and sociology of change writing. She focuses primarily on nonfiction writing in the modes of advocacy, but the ideas in this book speak to all of us who write.
The biggest lesson from this book is not to be afraid of expressing your own style, your own point of view. When people express opinions and personalities, writing becomes more interesting, more likely to make someone finish reading it and become inspired by it. Even in fiction, we only have to look at the canon of masterpieces to see that the majority of these works are revered because they offer something original.
With the explosion of blogs and social media writing, style is as important as ever. The electronic field of presenting our ideas is crowded and I highly suggest anyone who wants influence online read this book.
Probably the most important point Pipher makes, though, is that if you want to affect people with your writing, no matter what kind of writing it is, you have to tell a story in such a way as to engage people. Relate to their own lives, to their emotional lives. Facts, figures, strong opinions and even worthwhile rants are not going to be effective without the personal, human element.