I believe that everyone has a story in them. I’m certain that not everyone feels they want to write, although there is a concurrent myth about writing that never really seems to go away. If you have read a favourite biography of a celebrity, sports person or movie star, it is very likely that they didn’t actually write the book. Most of those people have a Ghost-writer and for the celebrity, the input is little more than giving a few interviews. A researcher/writer will do the rest of the work.
So that means that anybody can do this as long as you have someone who will do the graft for you. And not surprisingly that is one thing that we do at Meet The Authors, because we believe everyone who has a story to tell should be encouraged, and that they should have the support and resources necessary to fulfil their dream without having to re mortgage the house.
You may say, well, I have quite a dull life. I can’t imagine that any of it will interest anyone else. But you will be surprised, for instance, how many women have written about their experiences of childbirth and these stories are used to help and support those who have experienced the same or are about to experience it. The secret is in the telling, and if you feel you can’t make it suitably interesting or even humorous, someone else can do that for you. We can do that for you.
I have identified some groups are very likely to have good stories in them, but it’s not exhaustive. There are many things that I’ sure I haven’t thought about.
Prisoners and ex prisoners.
Forces veterans
Others with ptsd
Older people -recollections of their lives, grandparents.
People who have had an illness or accident and has changed their life.
Those who have suffered (any form of) abuse or attack or accident.
People who have experienced success and failure in any sport (or any field)
People who have found themselves homeless/bankrupt (and survived it)
Anyone who wants to relate issues or experiences of suicide.
Anyone who wants to relate issues or experiences of bereavement.
People who have experienced addiction and recovered.
Someone who emigrates to a completely different culture and what they experience.
Neurodivergent people–how they have negotiated life.
And if you are certain that there is nothing worth saying about your own experiences, you probably only need to go back one generation or two or more and I can guarantee you there will be some interesting tales there.
There is little more rewarding than being able to express yourself in this medium and share experiences with others. It is cathartic, therapeutic and sometimes puts past anxieties to rest.
Perhaps you have some ideas that are not on my list? Please contribute, and in doing so, you’ll be supporting others who want to become authors.
Don’t know where to start? Take some quiet time and reflect on your life and experiences, then those around you, and perhaps even those that came before you. Writing a book does not have to be a solo event anymore and as someone who went through this task by task as a solo event, it was quite gruelling, so why not access support? If you have any questions, please get in touch with us and certainly we will give feedback using our ‘Pitch Your Idea’ service and suggest how to embellish and improve it.
What is your story?