This post originally appeared on Medium in February 2021. Highlights are from readers.
Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash
1. Your story matters.
It matters because it is a snapshot of the human experience (yes, even sci-fi/fantasy/horror-monster stories!) These snapshots build a network of experiences through which readers and listeners are able to gain new awareness of the world. These new understandings lend themselves to empathy, to openness, to acceptance. And that will change the world.
2. Your story will affect someone.
Right now, there is one person out there who really, really needs your story to feel seen or less alone. That one person deserves your story.
3. A story isn’t finished until someone reads it.
Writing is communication, which by nature is a two-way process. So unless you want to keep your story like a secret, locked away in cobwebs, keep going until you feel ready to share it.
4. There is room for all of us.
The more stories the better. Why? Go back to the first item on this list. Even the most similar stories to yours weren’t written by you. Because this one is written by you, it is unique and special and worth writing.
5. Writing your story helps you grow.
No story you write will leave you unchanged. The stories we write heal, forgive, learn, explore, experiment, travel, imagine, and much, much more.
6. Stories bring us together.
Humans are wired to process the world through stories. It is how we bond. It is how we build. It is how we become better that what we are now.