Your Story Is Already Written

Trusting the Tale Within You

Photo by Nong on Unsplash

Some stories arrive like whispers, others like lightning bolts. Either way, when an idea grips you and won’t let go, it’s not an accident. That story chose you. It already exists, waiting patiently inside you, and your job as the writer is to discover it and release it word by word, chapter by chapter.

When I’m asked how I write or what is the best way to write, should an author outline or not, I always say, definitely plan and outline your novel. Is that the way I write? Do I carefully chart every scene before I write a single word? Or do I dive into the blank page with nothing but a spark of inspiration? The truth is, I fall somewhere in between, but how can I tell a new author to just sit down and write — trust that the story already exists, waiting to be uncovered?

As a writing teacher, I strive to show writers how to write a story. I offer techniques and talk about craft. The sure way to get a story written is to outline it and create a roadmap first. Telling writers to open a document, after sketching out a few guiding signposts, and beginning writing is not teaching. It’s not helpful to someone who doesn’t know how to write.

But as I began writing a new novel last month, I did not plot out every scene. I couldn’t have imagined specific scenes as they are now…