What’s your story? Share, Share, Share*
Every second person I meet proudly tells me they have written half their life story and it’s hidden under the mattress, or in the back of the wardrobe, or they don’t know where it is. It’s lost, for now. Not enough confidence to speak about it at length but burning passion written all over their faces, eyes sparkling, waiting to be found, a best seller. Can you see your apparent invisible manuscript somewhere between the lines above? I know I could when I first started writing.
Have you thought of writing say ten words or short sentences to describe your life or your intended storyline e.g. fun, frivolous, too brave, too giving, stupid mistakes, people-pleaser, start from present and go backwards, start from a happy event and write out from there.
Have you ever truly investigated the word Team? This is a starting point for your best seller, or your precious story. If you have the bones of conversations in your head ready for a first draft of ideas, why not get an opinion on the typed draft, from a professional. It all starts with one step. I got abundant advice from the get-go and did not have to waste time going in the wrong direction.
As Sir Richard Branson often says: “Ask for help, I often ask people for advice” or words to that effect.
I had 30,000 words at one time early in the piece (6 months before I found my publisher or he found me), and sought out an independent author/journalist’s opinion. I had no idea what to expect but, because of my legal background in drafting documents and correspondence, I over-confidently assumed he would see my excellent English. He didn’t. He didn’t see that at all! The characters were in the wrong place, not understandable, so oblique he didn’t know who they were or where they fitted into the story line. He used the words talented writer somewhere (amongst the critique) in the opinion or email and I hung onto those words for dear life and got working on his suggestions to start all over again from scratch with suitable chapter headings and understandable intelligent text.
Listening became a whole nother sense. English communication is not a walk in the park, it is clever and useful if written or spoken properly. Back to the drawing board.
Further, to add insult to injury, the writers’ group I joined felt like going to learn another language. I sat most times trying to close my mouth, and not look like a jerk, because the learning curve was steep, too steep. Simple words like and, but, however, that, just, even, took on new meanings because they had new markers to sit still, for better punch and grammar. OMG. My English was quite good but required improvement.
Everyone has a story, even you. I hope you don’t let the nay-sayers drown out your special, unique and valuable story. Your story, yes your very story, could change someone’s life or lots of lives. But it’s the legacy of writing your story that holds the most fantastic gift for your family or friends.
