Photo by Thomas Bormans on Unsplash
Lately, I’ve been coming home to what has driven me since before I started Writership but didn’t fully realize until recently.
My goal has always been to help writers tell stories they can be proud of and that readers love. But a larger mission has become clear to me in the last few years. The clue is in a line on my website: I help fiction and nonfiction clients write epic stories that matter.
That has felt right, but I haven’t talked about what I mean when I say a story that matters.
Stories that matter are ones that engage in the narrative transmission of wisdom.
A story is set in a particular world where events unfold and people take action in response. Beyond that, a story crafted in a certain way offers more than an entertaining read. It provides a perspective about what’s a good or bad approach to a specific problem.
Stories are about how things change and how the protagonist metabolizes that change and responds in the face of uncertainty. In the action and resulting resolution, we find a perspective on how to face change and uncertainty ourselves. Even if we disagree, it forces us to consider and offers an opportunity to grow.
This is the narrative transition of wisdom. It’s not a new idea, but it’s why I show up at my desk every day. So when I ask myself where this is all going, my answer is I help writers craft stories that illuminate human experience so we can meet the challenges we face. This is what matters to me.
This post is part of a 75-day writing challenge and experiment. From September 9 through November 22, I'll be posting daily thoughts on writing, storytelling, and creativity based on recent readings or reflections. While my intention was to keep them very short—250 to 400 words—I've found that this range doesn't give me enough space to cover these topics adequately. I aim to keep them brief enough to be read quickly, but they will typically be longer than 400 words.