In January 2021, I signed up for a course, “My Story Matters”, with Leslie Leyland Fields, author of Your Story Matters. The purpose of the course is to give people the keys to writing their stories. The reason that I signed up to do the course was to better understand writing from the perspective of the authors for whom I edit and proofread, as well as to gain insight into the writing process.

One of the genres we edit is people’s testimonies in the Christian context or autobiographies in the general listing of genres. We help people to share their journeys to wholeness with others so that they can inspire others with hope, encourage them on their journeys, and unlock the healing process for a better change or future. It was this genre that drew me to editing because I do believe that every person’s story matters, which is why the name of the course caught my attention.

Every new writer wrestles with one or more of the following questions:

• What things keep me from writing my story? (Example: I will be baring my soul, making myself vulnerable. It is a long process, and my time is erratic as I am busy with other things.)
• Who will read my story?
• Is my story worth sharing?
• Who will buy my books?
• Can I afford to publish my own book?
• What if I am rejected?
• How do I even start?

In this article, I will focus on answering the last question, but first, I will answer the rest of the questions in a nutshell:

If you need to write your story, just write. Your story may not be for publishing but for personal healing, a personal reminder of how far you have come, or to just order your thoughts and bring clarity to your life journey. Not every story is for publishing, and that is okay.

If you do want to publish your story, there are different options to consider, such as traditional publishing, self-publishing, and co-publishing. If a traditional publisher rejects your manuscript, it means that they do not necessarily support the genre you are writing for, but it does not mean that your manuscript is worthless. Different publishers look for different genres, and sometimes they have enough of one genre and are looking for something else for that season. Don’t give up.

HOW DO I EVEN START TO WRITE MY STORY?

1. Write

This is the easy part… Pick up a pen and paper or take out your laptop and write what is on your heart. Focus on one story and write the story that is most prominent in your mind at the time. Don’t correct grammar or spelling, just write (you can come back to polish it later). Write as you remember the story, from your own perspective. Focus on ONE STORY and don’t worry about the order in which you write your story, just write the one that is on your heart to write in that moment. It has nothing to do with perfection – it is just writing as the thoughts come. Write without stopping and correcting. A guideline to help write the stories of your heart is to extract what happened from your story. For example, we went to the zoo, or even more specifically, the monkey stole my hat. Then,  write the details of the experience. Write it as you remember it, and remember, don’t worry about grammar, punctuation, and spelling. This is about getting the words on paper or a document so that you can collate everything into a story in the end.

Writing gives us a way to bring healing – beauty from ashes. The process of writing helps to put words to your deepest feelings and your experiences. It gives you a voice where your voice may previously have been silenced.

Tip: When writing your testimony, remember that the testimony is about what God has done in your life. Your testimony should carry the thread of redemption and focus on Him.

Remember, not every story will end up in your book, but write the stories because they are all part of your process.

2. Colour it in

Once you have your stories or memories documented as you have remembered them, it is time to go back and add some imagery and depth to the memories. For example, telling your reader about what you saw, felt, smelled, and heard around that memory. Use descriptive words – adjectives and adverbs to paint the picture for your reader. Remember, they cannot picture what you can, so describe what you experienced in detail. WORD SEEK – find synonyms and descriptive words to express what you want to convey.

3. Organise

Once you have the different memories documented, it is time to put your memories in order. They do not necessarily need to be in order of timeline; it depends on how you feel you would like to present it. Keep in mind that the order will most likely change as you begin to work through the story. This is where you can begin the clean-up process of working on grammar, completing sentences properly, spelling, punctuation, etc.

4. Adding links

As you read through the stories, you may want to add summary pieces, which are small links of information that you add in to weave some additional information into the story that gives context or brings understanding to the reader. The summary involves leaving out unnecessary details and descriptions to briefly tell the backstory.

5. Going deeper

Add in reflections, these may be moments of revelation that you have received in hindsight or understanding you have gained as you have matured. The reflection is the inner story, the deeper meaning that cuts through the surface and the superficial layers to give insight into the inner workings of your life. Get the reader involved in your story by sharing your emotions about your experience – this is what makes you unique and yet connects you to your reader.

7. Start to polish

Rewrite your essay/story, adding your word seeking. Treasure your reflections, but be careful not to overweigh the scene with a sermon or a lesson. Let your story speak for itself. For those who do have a lesson or story, weave it in in such a way that it naturally flows in and out of your story. You are presenting the reader with your experience and the lessons you have learned. Maybe they need to learn them too, and maybe they don’t. Let the Holy Spirit lead them on that journey. Your story may only be the key to unlock their healing process.

You will need to work through your manuscript a few times to prepare it for publishing or sharing. The more work you put into the writing process, the smoother the editing and publishing process will go.

“Your Story Matters – Write it, even if no one reads it.” (Leslie Leyland Fields)