Tell Your Stories

As a writer, one of the most asked questions that I get is: How do you write?

There is no magic formula. Honestly, there is no one way to write or share the story that you have to give. You just give it. Tell your stories. We contain multitudes and histories that travel the spines of time. My journey is no different than that of anyone else in the world. I have had the heartbreaks that start in childhood and find their way into adulthood. I have been made the villain in the memory of others. I have been the darling, too. It all equals out. As a writer, you have the opportunity to equal it all out.

Writing is about a reckoning. Use everything. The bully who made high school hell. The boyfriend who was a master gaslighter. The parent who made you parent them. As I said, it's a reckoning but not in the sense of revenge. Though it was Anne Lamott who so distinctly said, “You own everything that happened to you. Tell your stories. If people wanted you to write warmly about them, they should have behaved better.” Sometimes you don't know how you feel about things until they are distilled through a character created by you. And don't be confused, characters are you. I know some writers try to say that's not true but name one song not written with personal experience attached. You can't. Life is art. It's all yours to use.

So, tell your stories. There is someone looking for understanding. Your story will guide them. We write in solitude but our stories reach masses. Trust me.