Tell your story

I will be honest with you. I've dreamed about writing a novel and having it published. As you can tell from these blogs and my weekly epistles, I enjoy playing with a blank page and making words come to life. The problem is that I just don't know if anyone will pay for something I write. Getting it for free in the newspaper or on line is one thing. Paying for it is another.

As I was thinking about this for the one hundredth time, I picked up a book I bought on Ebay earlier this summer. It is written by Mark Fidrych, the 1976 Major League Rookie of the Year. He is a former Detroit Tiger player and it is entitled "No Big Deal." As I opened the book and began reading it I quickly discovered that this has to be the most poorly written book I have ever come across. Fidrych can't put two sentences together that make sense. It is simply a terrible book. I am sure the only reason anyone ever bought it was because the author was famous.

That is bad news for me. At least Mark Fidrych, with his name recognition, got people to nibble and buy his book. An unknown like me may never get his foot in the door. Who is going to read my story?

The truth is that a lot of us think that what we have to say isn't noteworthy. That isn't true. Some of the best stories ever told were from people like you and me who had experienced a slice of life that touched a chord in the audience. As we share our experiences we validate the triumphs and struggles of those who hear them. We remind each other that we are not alone.

So go ahead and tell your story. Write it down if you must, but don't be afraid to share. Be like the unnamed woman at the well or the man born blind. Their names never became famous but we still share their stories two thousand years later.

Cal