What does a writer do in the age of Netflix? The question encapsulates the transition of an age from the written word to video on demand. The answer solves, I hope, dilemmas that haunt every content provider’s mind.

Notice two things here: First I chose not to use the word “attention” (until now), even though it is attention we strive for. And second, I chose not to use the word “writer” though that is how I identify myself these days.

There is a reason for my choices. The attention economy has always been there. I know we focus on it these days because we think that it is something that’s become precious because we are constantly bombarded by distractions but, in truth, anything only ever matters to us the moment we focus on it.

I fancy that in a medieval English town open air market the beets we’d buy from a particular beet-seller would be bought only because of the beet-seller’s skill in catching and then focusing our attention on his beets as opposed to those of any other, competing beet sellers.

It has always been the case, which brings me to content, writing and the role of writer in the age of video. An obvious answer to the question of course is provided by the fact that Dune is at the time of writing this #67 on Amazon books a fully 57 years after it was published. The visual medium and the spoken word supplement rather than supplant each other. Video may make it easier than ever to absorb information and watch entertainment but we also read more articles, news, summaries, comments than ever before and, in the truly co-creational universe of the web, write, reshare, curate and repurpose what we consume.

This makes any book, the same as any film, be no different to a picture or an article. They’re just content. And, as such, they’re only as good as the purpose they each serve at the point of consumption. You might find this point to be an epiphany. But you might not. Ultimately it doesn’t matter. What does matter is that content is created to serve a purpose. That purpose is defined by the needs of its audience and the perception of those needs is only as good as the ability of the content creator to exhibit some empathy.

So, there. Now. What have I just done for you? First, I’ve solved any issues you may have with your own perceived inadequacies as far as ‘talent’ is concerned. Second, I’ve just told you that whatever you write, however you write it is only as good as the task it serves at the point a purpose needs it.

In writing the books I do I am constantly aware of this to the degree that each book I write can be summarised as the answer to a simple question.

This approach, in turn, transforms the question about style, stylistics, and everything else associated with them, including ‘voice’ and ‘talent’ into the more functionally accurate one about effectiveness of the answer and its visibility when it matters most. I could, for instance, be a literary genius but if no one could understand what I wrote because of the way I wrote it that would be useless. It would also be equally useless if no one could find my book the moment they asked their question.

So, if you’re looking for writing tips as you dither whether you’re an author or a blogger, a journalist or an auteur consider that what you do matters only if it is seen, heard, consumed and engaged with. Content is always created for a purpose. Every purpose has an intent.

I hope this, now, got you thinking about yours.

Intentional: How To Live, Love, Work and Play Meaningfully