Do You Need to Write a Book?
George’s story
I was back in town, hanging out with friends, when George walked in. We all said, “Hey,” and asked him how he was. So he started telling us how he was and how he got that way. Next thing we knew, half an hour had flown by. His backstory was so arresting that we all just listened with shining eyes, asking questions from time to time. A lot of interesting things have happened to George and his wife as they have walked with Jesus, and the stories just tumble out of him.
I said, “George, you should write a book about your life.”
At this, he hung his head and said, “I feel that God’s been telling me to write a book, and I just haven’t made the time to do it.”
“You really should do that, though,” I smiled.
“Yes,” he sighed. “Pray for me.”
So I did. In the following months, when I prayed for George, I kept thinking about how burdened he looked when I said he should write a book. It didn’t seem like a happy prospect for him. He loved to tell his stories, but he didn’t seem happy about writing them.
But wait…
Then I remembered: George is a talker. He has a radio show. He speaks for a living. Sure, he has a story, and it would be great for that story to be told. But maybe I had misspoken when I told him to write a book. Maybe I really just meant that he should tell his story somehow.
So I wrote him an email to apologize and explain. He could create a podcast or radio show; he could create radio dramas; he could speak to church groups.
He still may choose to go ahead and write it all down, which would be, in my opinion, a great way of organizing his thoughts. But my experience with George taught me that while everyone has a story to tell, not everyone is meant to write a book.
Do you need to write a book?
Or would your tale be better shared another way? Here are some alternate ways to communicate a narrative or make a point:
Podcast
Video (anything from just you talking on YouTube, to a short film complete with director, videographers, lighting, etc)
Full length screenplay
Graphic novel
Series of blog posts
Guest post on someone else’s blog
Magazine article
Be interviewed by someone else
Poetry
Music
Performance art
Stage play
Television series
TED Talk or similar
Church testimony
Photography
Handcrafted scrapbook just for your family
Other visual art
Exhibit at the local historical society or museum
Nowadays, people are telling stories using Instagram and Twitter, too.
Each of these forms has its own conventions. Your story won’t be appropriate for them all. It’s a rare narrative that would make a good full length screenplay AND a series of tweets. And it’s a rare person who has the skills required to tell his or her tale in all of the formats listed above.
So, which of these methods of communication fits your talents and natural tendencies? Which would best honor your story? Which lends itself to the length of your narrative? Which is within your budget (consider money AND time). Where are your readers/listeners/viewers? How will they find your work?
You have a story to tell.
Before you start writing, consider whether a book is the best way to communicate with the audience you are trying to reach. Remember, some people don’t even read books!
