Hands down, the number one hesitation I hear from people is that they have a story to tell but…
I am not a writer.
Those five simple words stand in the way of you sharing your story with the world, and that is terribly unfortunate because I know that you have a great story inside you.
I want to start by acknowledging that you are likely already writing something daily. Do you…
- Journal?
- Email others?
- Share on social media?
- Scrapbook/photobook as a hobby?
- Tell stories?
Congratulations, you are a writer.
5 Tips To Pull Stories From What You’ve Already Written
If you’ve only just realized that you write more than you give yourself credit for, congrats! A great stepping stone to get comfortable with the idea of you being a writer is to look at what you’ve already written as a starting point. Consider the following:
Review journal entries for stories
Some of the best memoirs were inspired by journal entries. There’s something about knowing that only your eyes will read the entry that gives us permission to be honest and raw.
Think of someone you email (personally)
Did you know that over 300 billion emails are sent and received each day? While most emails are work-related, email is still a great medium to communicate stories to people who we may not be able to see regularly in person. Think of the last story that you shared. Could that be a stand-alone written story?
Look at social media posts that have the most comments and engagement
Social media makes it easy to see what stories resonate with others… they literally tell you they like it! Consider the topics that people are engaging with and how it relates to the story you want to tell.
Look at past scrapbooks and see what stories are already
While scrapbooking may be a dying art with advances in digital mediums, it’s still a fantastic way to visually tell a story. Take those visuals and experiment with telling the same story in writing.
Write stories you have already told
Do you have a bank of stories stored in your head? Maybe something funny that happened to you that is great to break the ice with new people or something that you reserve for more serious situations so that someone doesn’t feel as alone…Are you a natural storyteller? Next time you return from a dinner party where you had everyone’s attention, try writing the story down.
Want more information on how to take habits you already do and enhance your writer side? Check out my freebie Yes You Are a Writer.
Remember, if you write, you are a writer!