Everyone has a story to tell. Each one of us has lived experiences which only we can share, because no one else has experienced life in the same way we did.
I’ve heard so many people say, “I should write a book.” They’re right. They should! Whether their story would focus on life or love, courage or caution, happiness or happenstance, grief or gratitude, their story needs to be shared and they are the only one who can share it.
What was it like to be a San Francisco firefighter for thirty years? What were some of your most memorable calls? What was it like to escape Vietnam in 1975 as one of the boat people, and how did you overcome the challenges of adapting to life in the United States? How did you know that you were called to the priesthood, and what have been the joys and sorrows of your decision to commit yourself to a lifetime of ordained ministry? What went through your head when your doctor told you that your soon-to-be-born child had Down syndrome? How has raising that beautiful child changed your outlook on life itself?
What was it like when your husband of twenty-five years informed you that he would be moving out because he wanted to be free to date other women? What adjustments did you make in your life to survive such a shock?
What went through your head when your doctor informed you of the diagnosis of multiple myeloma? What was it like sitting with your 88-year-old Dad, a lifelong Giants fan, in the living room of his home on the evening of November 1, 2010 when the San Francisco Giants won the World Series for the first time? What was it like to be sitting in the northeast corner of Candlestick Park when Dwight Clark made “the catch” which sent the 49ers to their first Super Bowl?
What was going through your head on the days President Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Jr., or Bobby Kennedy were assassinated? What were you doing when you first heard about the attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001? What was your experience of the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989?
What was it like being unexpectedly laid off from your job at the age of 48 after devoting twenty-five years to the company? What did you learn from the experience of raising three kids who knew more about technology by the age of ten than you ever will? How did you get through that period of your life when you seriously doubted the existence of God?
No one can share these stories other than the person who experienced these things first-hand. Your story has credibility because it is uniquely yours to tell. Your story just might be the crutch someone else needs to get through a similar crisis in their own life. It is imperative that we overcome any negative thoughts about writing, such as I have nothing of value to say, or I’m just not a good writer, or Who would be interested in anything I write. I’m not famous. The story does not have to be perfectly written to have value. Proofreaders and editors can help an aspiring writer to polish up their story for publication.
When you write the truth of your own lived experience, you can write with confidence, knowing that what you write is authentic. You’re not writing fiction. You don’t need to create characters who are believable to the reader. You simply write the truth — and then publish it.
In the Introduction of my soon-to-be-published memoir, I quote John Steinbeck who wrote this in his short story, Tularecito: “After the bare requisites to living and reproducing, man wants most to leave some record of himself, a proof, perhaps, that he really existed.” This, if for no other reason, might provide the motivation you need to start writing your story.
