Never Doubt Your Story Matters
Why would your story matter to your readers? Why would your book be worth reading when a million other books have already been published? Is your novel actually anything special?
There are a lot of books in the world. Millions, in fact. According to Google, about 130 million books have been published in the world up to 2010, and that’s just published.
Imagine how many novels have been lost in the back of a dusty drawer or were the victims of a computer crash. Or how many books have been published during the last decade alone.
With so many books ready for reading, perhaps some scary questions are begging you for answers, like…
- Will my story matter?
- What could I say that someone else hasn’t already said?
- What story could I concoct which another writer hasn’t written before and crafted better?
- Who would want to read my story—I mean, is it really anything special compared to what’s out there?
Maybe your personal questions are a bit different, but all the answers are the same: Your story matters in this gigantic sea of words you are jumping into.
In fact, I believe it’s possible for you to change the world.
The Lake of Books
Words hold weight. Maybe alone words might fly through the air, weightless and meaningless. But when strung together to form a thought, they are like a steel anchor sinking into the depths of a salty sea.
Need an example? Go no further than history. Think of famous speeches, books, and curriculums—some of these works have literally changed the world. Think of. . .
- 1984 by George Orwell
- “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens
- To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
- The fairy tales collected and written by the Brothers Grimm.
- Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
- The list goes on and on and on.
Envision a wide sparkling lake and a single water drop impacting its glossy surface. The dash of water only touches a small surface area of the lake, but after it has broken the top rings ripple outward, expanding for a surprisingly long while.
This lake is every book ever published and that teensy drop of water is your book. It may not appear big, but it’s affecting water far from where it fell.
Your story matters in this lake, like all those great stories I listed above.
Related Reading: 3 Lessons on Writing From Our Forerunners in the Craft
YOU Are the Uncommon Factor
Now, I don’t recommend you toss out your current projects to craft some masterpiece centered around a political statement which feels relevant to the current times.
Honestly, I think when most people start writing with that as the number one priority it can show painfully in the text.
You don’t have to craft a mind-blowing statement for your story to mean something to someone. You don’t need to reinvent the art of storytelling either.
In fact, there is nothing new to write about, and we are all borrowing from each other and twisting the common plots.
But what will make your story special is YOU. No one has your life or experiences or dreams or trauma. No one in the entire world can think or feel exactly as you do.
Your story will mean something because you wrote it, and if done to the best of your ability it could very well change someone’s life.
Related Reading: Why We Should Write From the Heart
Want to stop procrastinating? This free workbook will help you to:
- Identify your fears.
- Consider the effect that these fears have on your life.
- Develop a strategy to confront these fears and overcome them.
- Learn how to move forward despite your fears to make your writing dreams a reality.
The Power of Your Voice
Every story you pen will make a difference, for the good or the detriment of those involved. When you write, write with integrity and truth. Use your gift to spread joy and discernment.
Your readers will appreciate honesty and love a story that transports them to a different atmosphere.
Never doubt the ability your voice possesses to impact a fellow human being. Your words matter, your story matters.
And if it’s your desire not to publish but just to write, your story still has an impact on you. Like the drop of water splashing in the lake, the biggest disturbance to the surface will be at the point of impact—the person most changed by the telling of the story will be its writer.
Make the difference a positive one.
Tell your story,
Sarah
Related Reading: 5 Traits You Need to Be a Powerful Writer
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S.J. Siedenburg is a thriller & fantasy novelist, an editor, and a bibliophile with a passion for stories and helping writers finish their novels. She’s the author of the guidebooks Character Presentation, Before the First Draft, and the How to Write a Novel online course. Six of her short stories have been published through writing contests. Sarah lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and their Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” —John 1:5