How do you write what people actually want to read?

People Haven’t Stopped Reading. They’ve Become Selective.

It is late, and I desperately need to rest. But it has been a while since I responded to one of those writing prompts, so tonight, I decided to give it a try. The question is simple:

How do I actually write what people want to read?

Writing is something we learn, but great writing often comes from something deeper—passion. Becoming a good writer requires skill, practice, patience, observation, and, above all, deep thinking.

A good writer captures your mind, creates curiosity, and holds you until the end. Sometimes, you think you already know where the story is going, yet the writer leaves just enough uncertainty to make you keep reading.

That, to me, is the beauty of writing.

But how do you write something people actually want to read?

It is easy to argue that people no longer read as much as they used to. We live in the age of social media, short videos, notifications, and portable screens. People scroll through content constantly, often giving only a few seconds to whatever appears in front of them.

But I don’t think people have stopped wanting stories.I think they have simply become more selective about which stories deserve their attention.

I have been writing for a long time. I remember keeping records of my activities and thoughts in a diary when I was in my early secondary school years. I even wrote my first book in a notebook.

Unfortunately, many of my early writings are gone. Some were lost to floods, some to fire, and others simply disappeared because I didn’t have the means to store them properly.

Still, the desire to write survived.

I studied literature and read books by some of the world’s greatest writers, including Chinua Achebe and William Shakespeare, among many others. I have continued reading contemporary writers and discovering new voices.

Literature teaches you that words are more than words. You learn about irony, hyperbole, oxymoron, sarcasm, symbolism, suspense and countless other ways of making language more powerful.But beautiful language alone does not make people read.

People read because something in the writing speaks to them.

Sometimes it is a question they have been afraid to ask. Sometimes it is an experience they have lived but never found the words to describe.

Sometimes it is simply curiosity and sometimes, they see a little bit of themselves in your story.

Perhaps that is the answer I have been looking for.

Writing requires deep thinking, narrative skill and precision. But it also requires understanding your audience, your message and the story you are trying to tell.

You don’t always have to write what people think they want to read.

Sometimes, you simply have to tell the truth in a way that makes them want to keep reading.

I don’t know if you still have an interest in this article but if you’ve made it this far, I guess I’ve already captured your attention.

And isn’t that the beauty of writing?

We are all narratives in progress and our stories are still being written.

Maybe writing shouldn’t be about constantly projecting what people might want. Maybe it should be about understanding the story, knowing the audience, finding the message—and then telling it honestly.

Perhaps that’s how I continue to write things that people like you still want to read.

Thank you for always reading,liking, commenting and encouraging me to keep writing.

It is past 11 p.m. now. I’ve completed my tasks for the day, and I’m off to rest. I have an early morning class and another tight schedule tomorrow—and for the rest of the week.

But tonight, at least, I wrote.

And perhaps that’s enough until the next one.