Write the Story You Need to Hear

There’s a piece of writing advice I’ve heard before that goes something like, if you could only write one more story, which one would it be? I think this is so powerful. Not only does it put into perspective when choosing your next story which one means the most to you, but it also shows you which one needs to be told.

We all have stories like that. Stories that, if we don’t get out, our heart might just bust from holding them inside. These stories are the ones with the deepest themes that have the power to truly change a person’s life. Do you feel like the story you’re writing will change someone’s life? Does it mean enough to you that you would rather die than not finish it?

Personally, I didn’t fully understand these kind of “heart stories” as they are often called until last November when I started a new novel. This novel deals with a lot of the same issues that I have been dealing with in my own life for several years now. The grief and the emotional battles are so real to me that I feel like I can reach out and touch it. Some days it was even hard for me to write.

This is a story that I can answer with no hesitation that if I could only write one more story, it would be this one. So why am I editing a completely different novel, you might ask? Well, that’s a very good question. XD I’m dying a slow death inside myself until I can get back to this novel and finish it. But that’s beside the point.

If you have a story that needs to be told, then tell it! If this is a story that you can feel within every fiber of your being, then don’t wait another day to put pen to paper and tell this amazing story. Because chances are, this is a story that will impact others. Or even if it doesn’t, it’s impacted you. And that’s enough.

I think every story we write is a journey. When we pick a theme and carry our characters through that theme and all the change it entails, we can’t help but change a little bit ourselves. In the novel that I’m currently editing, I’ve learned to view the world—and my life—a little more openly than before (thank you Oliver for teaching me that… I hope you learn it as well XD). Through this novel that I’m still writing, I’ve learned that we can NEVER give up on hope. Never lose hope, y’all. It’s vital to your existence.

I’ve heard other authors say the same, that each novel is a journey. I think that is so beautiful. I mean, what an incredible experience for us! That’s something no one can fully understand who doesn’t write.

So let’s chat! Do you feel this strongly about your current WIP? If so, why? What makes it so important to you that you feel it has to be told? Because there’s a lot of books in this world so you have to ask yourself, why mine? Why would someone stop to read my book out of the millions in this world? I don’t mean that harshly, it’s simply the cold truth of the author life. But if you have a genuine answer to why your book needs to be read above all others, then you have a story that needs to be told.

So go tell it.

Your turn!

Do you have a story that’s dear to your heart? Is there a story burning inside of you that it feels like it might bust inside you? Tell me about it below!

Blessings, Allyson