You are the Only You

Writers are exceptional excuse-makers.  We can generate more excuses to impede our progress than a room full of hyper-critical editors.  Among those I hear most often are: No one will like it, I need inspiration to hit me, I don’t have time, I make too many mistakes, I can’t imagine how to fill 300 pages, and on and on.

            But the one I want to address today, is: There’s nothing unusual about my story.  Many writers feel they are telling the same story someone else has already told.  After all, who hasn’t fallen in love, been dumped, regretted a hasty decision, buried a loved one?  The experiences of life are common to all, right?

            But you are the only person who can tell your specific story.  You, and everyone you know, can go through the same event—a flood or an earthquake, say.  But every single one of you will tell it differently.  Every one of you will suffer differently, worry differently, fight back differently, learn differently. 

            Telling about something we all know is a good thing—it means we’ll all identify with your plot and characters.  You have a guy who struggles through tough financial times?  Readers everywhere will feel his pain.  You have a woman battling serious health setbacks?  You then have a huge audience that’s traveled her same path.  What we want is your spin on it.  How do you, in particular, view your experience? 

            Don’t belittle your life.  Every day of it is unique because it’s filtered through your unique brain.  It may look, on the outside, like everyone in a work cubicle is having your same experience.  But they aren’t thinking your same thoughts, or dreaming your same dreams.  So when you go looking for a story to tell, don’t shy away from familiar themes.  Just give it your own twist.  Tell us why this mattered to you, and what you did about it.

            Your life is fascinating because of your perspective.  Events alone do not make a story, no matter who’s telling it.  But if you give us the why and the how, if you let us into your heart and the truth that only you can tell, now you’ve got listeners.  Lots of them.