The Time Is Now to Tell Your Stories!

By BNI & Referral Institute - Jul 05 , 2008

By Paula Bonnell

Why do we write?

As authors, aspiring authors, multimedia authors, why do we write?

We write because we have a writing voice, a compulsion, and something to say. It’s no accident that we are writers and not physicists or insurance agents. But how many of us truly share our writing?

What would the world be like if Shakespeare had never put pen to paper and captured “Julius Caesar” or “The Taming of the Shrew?” Without Shakespeare, our cultural understanding of tragedy, comedy, and poetry would be dramatically changed, and so would we be as human beings.

Not every author is a William Shakespeare, nor is it necessary for all of us to be one, thank goodness! What is necessary for us as authors is for us to speak our truth and to share it with others – that’s the compulsion.

Two days ago, I became 45 years old. 15 years ago, I wrote two books full of essays, exploring my journey through the fear-filled side of emotion – jealousy, judgment, rejection, self esteem, personal value, power – and offered hope and light at the end of the tunnel for those walking the same path I did. Every time I offered these self-published books to friends, they would come back asking for more because they had sold the one I had given them. Eventually, I broke down and actually started selling them on a small scale myself. My barrier was feeling that the value of my words – what I had to say – was not worthy of sharing and certainly not of selling.

A magazine in Canada (I had to go out of the country to believe there was value) picked up several of the essays, and I started getting letters from people all over the United States telling me how inspired they felt and how relieved they were by my words.

That’s when I stopped writing.

I got scared that people would discover that what I had to say really wasn’t that special or that important. That was 15 years ago.

Today, I had two completely different but life-changing events occur. I had the opportunity to be on a conference phone call with several others talking with Dr. Ivan Misner, the Founder and Chairman of BNI, as well as a New York Times bestselling author. He was actually coaching us on how to become published authors in our chosen professions. Among other things, he talked about the power of storytelling and to pay attention to our experiences.

Two hours later, I’m just getting back from a wake of a 22-year-old that died in a car accident. He owned a flourishing commercial painting business with several employees, and he was also in the reserves as a Marine. Everyone talked about where he was going with his business and what great plans he had for the future. He was already a successful business owner at 22 and a Marine. He’s gone now.

And, here I am at 45, with two books and a voice that will not be stilled.

I am not Shakespeare. But something in my writing or your writing or someone else’s writing may change a perspective or a way of thinking, may bring humor where there was none, or may offer hope or excitement where it’s sorely needed. That’s enough.

There are lots of websites, books, articles and magazines on how to get things published. But there’s very little about why we write and why we need to do it now.

Don’t delay any longer in sharing your writing. There’s a reason that we’re authors. There’s a reason that we all feel compelled to share what we have to say. We speak for everyone who doesn’t know how to express how they feel or how to feel they way they want to feel. We have the honor, privilege, and responsibility of helping people realize who they are. Can there be anything more important than that?

Whatever it is you’re working on or haven’t started yet, finish it now and start sharing it. Someone needs to hear your words.

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Paula Bonnell is President of Aslite Enterprises, an acknowledgement company dedicated to inspiring more meaningful relationships between business professionals and their key clients, employees, and prospective clients through the use of inspirational cards. Paula is also an Area Director for BNI in Tampa, Florida.