How to share your story in a book

05 Feb How to share your story in a book

Do you yearn to share your life journey in a book, the challenges you endured, accomplishments you enjoyed, the accolades you received, the heartaches you suffered…you want to author a book and inspire readers?

You can include all of these and more. But what format will you adapt?

How will you know which part of your life journey readers love the most?

If writing a book is profoundly personal and transformative an exercise, storytelling is more complex than reporting events in a linear format of once upon a time there lived a woman…

To begin with let’s look at the different types of books that can capture your story.

1. Memoir:

Memoirs are narrative non-fiction and the easiest to write. However, unless you are a brand or a celebrity or have a mind-boggling unique experience, it would be difficult to sell.

2. Personal Essay:

Unlike a memoir, you aren’t compelled to write in a linear manner. Rather you can choose the most emotionally compelling incident or phases in your life. It can be a collection of stories. It doesn’t have to be long, and can include a lesson or a message or even a call for action.

3.Prescriptive Memoir

This is a combination of the above two. And one of my personal favorites. Most of my clients [who are coaches or aspiring coaches] opt for this because it helps the author be a storyteller and a trainer. It’s a flow of personal stories followed by training moments followed by more personal anecdotes and training modules. The book flows in a ‘How-To’ mode.

4. Fictional Memoir:

This is an entirely different format, where you tell your experiences from another place, using a protagonist. If you wish to use your imaginative gene, write in third person; set yourself up in a different geography and timeline; include characters; throw in verse, too, if you wish… have fun creating 😊

What type of book is right for you?

The fact of the matter is any of the above is perfect, because each one of them calls for YOU in it.

Therefore, ask yourself these 3 questions to help decide which format to opt for

1. Why do I want to share my story?
2. What is the message I want to give my readers?
3. How do I want to feel after writing the book?

The most important fact most first-time authors forget is that you are writing for the READER. No matter how much you want to share YOUR story, that is a secondary need. Whatever your message is, it is for the reader to use that message to reflect on their lives; it is for the readers’ benefit FIRST and then yours.

So dive deep, reflect on your life and bring forth that angst, fear, shame, moments of resilience, hopelessness, triumphs, the sunsets and rises and curve balls you tossed…and share it with the world.

Ready to go all in to flesh your book out? I can help.