Happy Friday, everyone! I have a special treat for all of you today – a guest post by Naomi Nakashima, author of Write Out Loud. You can read my review of her book here. Without further ado . . .
Naomi, take it away!
Why Your Story Matters and Your Book Idea Really Is a Good Idea
I have lost count of how many times I’ve told someone that I am a writer and they have responded with something along the lines of “Oh! I’ve got the perfect idea for a book!” or “You should write a book about my life!” or something to that effect.
And you know what?
You do have the perfect idea for a book and you should write a book about your life!
Sometimes we feel like our experiences are not important enough to share with others. It feels mundane or even boring because it’s not a story: it’s just your life. However, every life experience is unique, and our stories can have a profound impact on others. Whether you decide to disguise your experiences in a fictional setting or disclose them for the world to see in a memoir, your story is important, it matters, and you should definitely write a book about it.
Your Story is Unique
No one else in this world has lived the same life as you—not even your siblings. Your experiences, perspectives, and lessons learned are unique to you. By sharing your story through a book, you have the opportunity to inspire, educate, or connect with others who may be going through similar experiences. Your story can provide hope, comfort, and guidance in a way no one else can.
And before you say “but it’s already been done”—stop. How many times has the story of the R.M.S. Titanic been told? And yet each time, there’s a new perspective brought out, new information shining through, and a new audience to enthrall. You may think your story is not interesting enough, but the truth is there are people out there who can benefit from hearing it. If even it’s a story they think they’ve heard before, maybe this time it will finally click with them.
Your story may be the one that finally inspires someone else to overcome their struggles or make a positive change in their lives.
Writing a Book is Empowering
Writing a book is both a challenging and rewarding experience. It requires discipline, creativity, and vulnerability. All of these can make you feel overwhelmed, but the process of writing can also be incredibly empowering. You have the power to shape your story, to decide what to include and what to leave out. To rewrite the narrative entirely if you want, to share your side of an untold story, set the record straight, or just say what you wish would happen.
By writing a book, you can take control of your narrative and show the world who you truly are. You can also use your book as a platform to share your message, inspire change, or raise awareness about important issues you’re passionate about. The person who finishes writing a book is often very different from the person who started writing that same book. Writing a book can be a transformative experience that allows you to grow, heal, and unleash your full potential.
Your Story Can Make a Difference
Of course, we wouldn’t be anywhere without our readers. And writing a book can have a significant impact on your readers. Your story can provide a sense of community, validation, or understanding for those who may be struggling with similar experiences or sharing the same views. It can also challenge perspectives, spark conversations, and inspire action.
Your story has the power to make a difference in the world, even if it’s just one reader at a time. Or maybe because it will be one reader at a time. Your book can be a source of inspiration, comfort, or motivation for the person who needs it the most. By sharing your story, you can contribute to a more compassionate, connected, and empathetic world.
I often say, today’s authors are writing the books I am going to be raising my children with.
Think about that for a minute: what kind of perspectives and lessons would you put out into the world if you knew there would be a generation of young minds who would read that and have it shape their world view?
But how do you know you should write this book, and how can you tell if it’s a good book idea?
This is kind of a trick question.
First, there are a few questions you’ll need to answer about your book:
- What are your goals or what do you hope to accomplish as an author for this book?
- What are your objectives or what kind of experience do you hope your readers have with this book?
- How will you measure whether or not your book is meeting these goals and objectives?
The truth is, even if you know all of these things, there’s no way to know for sure whether or not your book will be successful until after it’s finished. And that’s because there are so many things that go into a book’s success that can’t be measured until after the book is finished:
- Quality of editing
- Market demand
- Marketing strategy
- Economic impacts
- Time of year (sometimes)
- Format distribution
But how do you know how much or what kind of editing you’ll need? How do you determine the market demand?
Ultimately, there’s no way to tell whether or not your book is going to be a success until you get the book written. That’s the only way you’ll be able to see the big picture, in its entirety, so you can start researching and putting together some of the rest of this information.
So you might as well write the book.
And finally, I want to tell you a story of how I know your book idea is a really good idea.
Have you seen any of the Sharknado movies? Or read any of the “Kissing the Coronavirus” books?
These are just two examples of ideas that, a few years ago, I would have felt were automatically bad ideas. If either of their authors had come to me and asked me for my advice about these ideas, I would have said no way.
Not a chance.
Try something else.
Yet these two ideas also have a loyal following. Even if they haven’t experienced mainstream success, they have achieved what many authors—especially new and indie authors—are striving for. They found an audience that loves them. Above all, they serve as proof that your audience is out there, somewhere, waiting for you to finish your book.
It doesn’t matter how boring you think it might be, or how out there and unconventional it might be. If you can find your market, you can make your book a success.
*****Sue here***
I don’t know about you, but I love the idea that my book will be helping to shape young readers tomorrow. It’s enough to encourage me to put words down and send them out into the world. I hope you find it just as inspirational!
Below are other stops on this blog tour so take a few minutes and find out more about this book and Naomi.
–SueBE
One Writer's Journey 