Stories enrich our lives, fuel interactions, build connections, and foster our imaginations. It’s difficult to imagine a world without stories; how different would conversations with your friends and family be if you couldn’t tell them about your adventures in travel, the latest news on your children or grandchildren or just the crazy neighborhood you may live in. Or if you couldn’t wind down for the night, reading a good book or some articles online?
A lot different, right? What would you even say? Everything we do and experience is the foundation of a story; it’s up to us to decide whether it’s one we keep or share with those around us.
It’s said that 80% of Americans want to write a book, and I’m inclined to believe it; almost everyone has an experience they think is worthy of a novel, some idea to turn into the next bestseller, or knowledge that could improve the world.
But… the reality is that only about 2% of that 80% turn their idea into writing.
Why?
Even with a great idea to get you started, writing a book is no simple task. It takes long hours and dedication to pull through from start to finish, potentially spread over years, and that’s before considering any refining, editing, and research that might be required.
I could go on forever about why writing a book is tough work—but in short, writing a book is a task that most people today—even with the technology and information available—simply don’t have the time to pursue.
I recently attended a Book marketing workshop and met three other writers, all desiring to put their stories in the hands of the millions of readers out there. Each one of these writers had different backgrounds, different genres, and very different stories. But what we all had , was the passion to write and to sell and we all had Stories to tell!
Search for your stories, cherish them for yourself and those around you.
I hope you’ll share your stories with me, too.
"The unread story is not a story; it is little black marks on wood pulp. The reader, reading it, makes it live: a live thing, a story."
Ursula Le Guin
Cheers,
Lynda
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