The Single Most Important Question to Ask Before You Start a Writing Project

Notes from a Writer and Writing Coach when you're looking for your North Star

I’m sitting at a long wooden table writing this, coffee in hand, the mountains around the city of Oaxaca spread out in soft hazy greens and blues around me. My laptop is open, but I’m stalling.

My brain feels cluttered, and the year ahead feels both urgent and elusive. I’m coming to the end of edits and I wonder what I want to write next. In moments like this, I ask myself the single most important question before diving into any writing project:

What do I want to write and why?

This question isn’t about purpose or audience—but about why it matters to me personally, at this moment. I’ll need the answers to keep writing for months or maybe years.

1. A North Star

What it is: The question “What do I want to write and why?” helps me find what I call my North Star.

Polaris.

Polaris isn’t visible from where I’m sitting in the mountains in Mexico, but (of course) this isn’t why I’m feeling unmoored. I’ve been travelling with four kids who’ve been on break now for nearly a month. A rich, glorious, lucky experience that pulls me so far from my writing self that I’m seeking Polaris in a sky that I can’t fully see.

Why it matters: When I’m coaching over at The Novelry, I see how this question encourages writers to find their own “why,” which is usually tied to a personal experience or belief. I ask when they’re feeling stuck or overwhelmed.

The answers vary—some writers are driven by the need for external validation, others by personal expression or storytelling.

I’ve been writing for long enough to know that it’s hard to keep going when life pulls you from the page. When I feel adrift, I might find my answer by journalling or making bullet point notes, my delightful kids squalling around me like gulls.

This helps me discover my motivations behind my writing. Often, I’ll uncover little glimmers and scraps, reminding me of that shining North Star.

2. Intrinsic Motivation

What it is: When I was writing for kids, my North Star was the idea of a kid opening my book and feeling confident as a reader. Now, with my murder mystery, I’m motivated to explore the lies we’re willing to live with because I don’t know the answer. Yet.

These motivators are much more powerful than publication or external validation. (Both of those are wonderful, yes, but I can’t control them, so when I’m stuck looking at the page, trying to keep going, they don’t work to keep me writing. I need something that excites me from the inside! An intrinsic motivator.)

Why it matters: As I feel the sun warming me, I’m looking at various writing possibilities for my next book. Asking this question, “Why am I writing this?” the heat helps me relax. I’m writing this (this piece), because I love connection with you. And I think you’ll enjoy it. Deeper than that, I’m writing it because I’m connecting with myself on a long, lovely trip with my adorable, wild children. These moments on the page light me up.

That’s my intrinsic motivator.

3. Staying the Course

What it is: At its core, this question is a truth-teller. It cuts through the distractions of comparison, market trends, or what I guess other people want to read. It’s about re-aligning with what resonates, even when the world is loud and noisy.

I LOVE it when I find readers, when they take time to share with me that something I’ve written has had an impact, like when Bernie generously shared last week that one of my novels had impacted her.

But!

Writing for market or because I think someone else is going to approve doesn’t help me get to the page in the long run.

Why it matters: As writers, we often find ourselves pursuing projects because they seem like the “right” thing to write, or because we think they’ll sell, or because everyone else is doing it.

In the past, when I’ve ever walked that path, those words flatten.

Instead, when I stop and remind myself to ask what I’m writing and why, I’m forced to be honest about my intentions. If the answer feels off, it’s a signal to pause and reassess, which keeps me on course. Following that shining North Star.

Tell me, what are you excited about in 2025?

Read: Oh, I love how many of you are joining me for Life-Changing Book Club this month. SO many texts and comments and messages. I love seeing glimpses of what you think of Wintering and I can’t wait to share with you what I love, too.

And, on the plane, I read The Wedding People by Alison Espach and I fell wildly in love. It’s so enjoyable, thoughtful, and lovely. Let me know if you’ve read it.

On Substack, I’ve been reading and listening to

Amanda B. Hinton

who has helped me get our Life-Changing Book Club in MUCH better shape for 2025. She’s so warm and wonderful.

If you’re new here, my name is Alice Kuipers and I’m a writer, mother and dog-owner transplanted twenty years ago to the Canadian prairies from England. I’ve published fourteen books in 36 countries and my writing has been described as: “For storytellers and story lovers,” by Kirkus Reviews; ‘Gorgeous, heart-ripping, important,” by VOYA; and “Intense and wonderful” by Bif Naked. Join me for coffee breaks to look at lines from great writers.

Xoxo

Alice