What is your life story? Could you make it into a book?
I like to think of life as a very, very thick book. This is how I believe everybody should look at life: as a novel. The question is: how thick will your book be? We all have this notion that life will write itself, when in reality it is us who writes our tales, our pasts, and our futures. Take these simple steps into consideration – even just for today!
Starting
Start by writing your synopsis. A synopsis is a summary of a story, usually in a few sentences or paragraphs. Take a step back and look at your life. Where do you work? What do you do on a daily basis? These are parts of your synopsis. When writing a life synopsis, your best bet is to follow my guide. Simplify everything into a few sentences. This synopsis will allow you to determine what kind of book you are writing!
The genre is often equally as important. This is where it gets fun! Do you think you would write a horror story? Would you write romance? This is often hardest because we seem to stare through diluted lenses. When I ask a client to write their life synopsis, I have come to find that people always associate with action and adventure, even if they have no actual action or adventure in their lives. I wonder why this is?
Begin Writing
Use free form writing. This was invented by Sigmund Freud in his free association techniques, where the idea was to ramble on without thinking. That way, you get the most raw, bare-basic version of your life story. You do not want to think too much about what you are writing. Rather, you want it to flow like a river, emptying its chasm onto that sheet of paper. Let your heart write, not your brain.
When writing, emphasize the important aspects. What makes your life unique from others? Is it a good career? Is it a unique family? There is no “wrong” way to write a life story, but do yourself one favor: don’t lie. This is a story for you, and no one else. It is for you to be able to see what you could do better if you had the chance.
What Did You Find?
Did you find your life is an epic romantic? Was it a psychological thriller? When I wrote mine, I found it was the latter, as I went through a rough childhood in a manner conducive to psychology, where only said psychology could explain things. This allowed me to understand that I need to settle down and quiet my mind. So, what did you find? Was there anything you could do to change things? Was there anything you wish you could erase? These are assets you need to look at with deep resignation.
