Stories are our prayers.
Write and edit them with due reverence,
even when the stories themselves are
irreverent.
Stories are parables.
Write and edit and tell yours with
meaning,
so each tale stands in for a larger
message,
each story a guidepost on our
collective journey.
Stories are history.
Write and edit and tell yours with
accuracy
and understanding and context
and with unwavering devotion to the
truth.
Stories are music.
Write and edit and tell yours with pace
and rhythm and flow.
Throw in the dips and twirls that make
them exciting,
but stay true to the core beat.
Readers hear stories with their inner
ear.
Stories are our soul.
Write and edit and tell yours
with your whole selves.
Tell them as if they are all that matter.
It matters that you do it as if that’s
all there is.
(Jacqui Banaszyski, “Stories Matter,”
from Telling True Stories)
