5 Tips to Telling Your Own Story
Steven Heumann is the founder of Super Heumann Creative, working with businesses to help tell their stories in innovative, documentary-style ways. As a former writer and director in the television industry, Steven works with businesses on both impactful video productions and as a ghostwriter for CEOs and founders looking to write a book to support their overall brand and mission. Since he is an author himself with ten full-length sci-fi thriller novels under his belt, Steven can publish those business tomes through his publishing company and takes thought-leaders from start to finish on their writing journey.
He imparts invaluable insights on crafting a compelling narrative, offering expert guidance for individuals seeking to share their own stories.
I believe our stories are the most important thing in the world.
That’s the truth.
For 15 years I worked in the television industry as a writer and director, meeting people, filming with them, learning from them. The thing that got me through the travel and crushing deadlines was listening to these individuals talk about their lives. It didn’t matter who they were or where they lived, there would always be something incredible as they talked about how they got to where they were, and why they had chosen that particular path.
I discovered pretty quickly that everyone’s story is worth being told. In fact, at one point if we needed to find a fluffy human-interest story for a magazine format TV show, we would simply sit down with a random person and start asking questions. Almost immediately they would start telling you the most amazing experiences from their lives. Before we knew it, we’d have a compelling story to tell for whatever show we were producing.
And it worked every time.
That’s how I got into the business I enjoy now, which is helping people from all walks of life understand the value of their personal stories and how they can tell them in powerful ways. Sometimes it’s through video, sometimes it’s in the form of a published book, but it always ends with them having a profound appreciation for their own chronicle.
So many people I run into want to write a book, and I help them do that. But if you want to write it yourself, you can! There are things you can do, a few tips, that will help you write your story in an effective and thought-provoking way. If you’ve ever felt (or had someone else tell you) your story was worthy of being put into a book, I’d like to share five tips that will help you take it from the back of your brain and turn that personal history into a published work.
Sound impossible? Trust me, it’s not. All it takes is a little know-how and some dedication. If you have those two things, nothing can stop you.
“I discovered pretty quickly that everyone’s story is worth being told.”
Tip #1: Find Your Purpose
When it comes to writing your story, the first thing you need to do is determine why you want to write it. Is it to inspire people? Teach them how to avoid pitfalls you’ve fallen into? Share knowledge? By figuring out your ‘Why,’ you can start focusing on what type of story you’re telling.
And making a million dollars as an author is not enough of a purpose. Plus, I hate to break it to you, but that’s not likely to happen. Money is always a great motivator, but when it comes to telling your story, dollars and cents need to be secondary.
For example, let’s say you’re a successful CEO for a Fortune 500 company and you want to write a book about the business principles that took you to the top. You desire to share your hits and misses, your triumphs and failures, inspiring people to think big. At the same time, you think you can use the book to propel your career to new heights.
That’s perfect! Those are all great reasons to write a book, and they blend beautifully. The purpose is to help other people, while furthering your career if possible.
To find your purpose, simply ask yourself, “Why do I want to write this book? What will it do for other people?”
Once you’ve answered that question, you’re off to the races.
Tip #2: Narrow Your Focus
When writing a book, it’s easy to get detoured on tangents that don’t serve your purpose. By narrowing your vision for what story you’re telling, you can avoid boring readers with unimportant details.
If you’ve decided your book is about inspiring people to think big in business, like in our Fortune 500 CEO example, you won’t want to dedicate a chapter to how to properly hire employees.
That wouldn’t serve your purpose in writing the book. Now, if you wanted to write a book on how to properly hire employees, then that would fit perfectly in that specific work.
Don’t try to do too much.
Focus on exactly what message you want readers to walk away with, like the idea that anything is possible, or that hard work pays off. That simplified vision will allow you to focus your story and tell only the parts that feed into that narrative. You may have a great story about climbing the Grand Canyon, but if it doesn’t serve your purpose, you’ll want to save it for the next book.
By narrowing your focus, you can leave behind all the stuff that doesn’t matter. It will streamline your process and make the work of writing the book less intimidating.
Tip #3: Read Similar Books
If you have the idea for your book and know there are similar works out there by authors you respect, read them! This will do a couple of things for you.
First, it will help you get a feel for how your book should be paced. Is the book broken up into sections where the author tells their story and then points out specific principles they learned through that experience? Great! Follow that format. Does the author use a conversational writing style or a more textbook-like approach? Do you enjoy how the author presented the story? What do you like or dislike about it? By answering these types of questions, you’re beginning to learn what you want and why you want it. Then you can craft your own narrative to do something similar.
Second, by reading comparable books, you will also learn where you might want to try something different. Readers expect certain things when they pick up an inspirational true story or a business how-to book. You want to follow the patterns to a point, but not be afraid of deviating from the norm. This could be as simple as following your instincts about trying something new. No one wants to read the exact same thing over and over again, so don’t be afraid to try a fresh approach or a different sort of narrative. Be bold, and you’ll probably end up in a good spot.
Tip #4: Choose a Time to Write
This is probably the most important tip I can give anyone wanting to write their book, whether it’s fiction or nonfiction.
Simply put, your book is not going to write itself.
If you set a specific time of day, be it a half hour, an hour, two hours, fifteen minutes, whatever, and you stick to that habit, you’ll be able to write a lot of words really fast. Pick the length of time you want to write each day, and when you want to do it. Maybe you’re giving yourself a half hour at 8 pm each night, or an hour at 6 am. Either way, it’s consistency that matters.
You may think slotting a specific time each day is a bit much, but trust me, if you don’t, you will likely never write your book. It’s like saying that someday you’re going to go on that dream vacation you’ve always talked about. If you don’t set a time to actually take that vacation, it will never happen.
Your book is the same way.
Unless you put it on your calendar and stick to that goal, you’ll find five years have past and you’re still telling yourself, ‘Man, I need to write that book someday!’
Tip #5: Re-Read Your Work
I’ve developed a habit of always reading what I wrote the previous day before I start writing the following morning. It allows me to come back to the work with fresh eyes and edit myself immediately. I do this over and over as I write a book, either for myself or for someone else.
Editing is a huge part of the writing process. If you think your first draft is good enough, you’ve got another thing coming. Don’t be afraid to read what you’ve written. Go back over it, rewrite what doesn’t work, improve things, learn from your mistakes.
The more editing you do, the better the work will turn out. And after you’ve typed ‘The End,’ you still need to have someone else look at it too. I always recommend finding a good editor that acts as a partner to what you’re creating. A lot of this work you can do yourself, but after you’ve read and reread your work, you’ll need to bring in that professional to make sure everything is as awesome as you want it to be.
Sharing your story with the world is incredibly important. Once we’re gone, no one can tell our story for us, no matter how good they are. Don’t leave your story in your mind where no one will ever hear it. Open your mouth, share the experiences that brought you to where you are, take pride in the life you’ve lived and the punches you’ve taken. Understand that your story has value and is worth sharing.
Start writing, and you’ll find that your experiences inspire not only you, but the people around you as well.
It’s how we make a better world.
