29d • ✨ Writing Share ✍️
Why I Teach Story First
The reason I'm sharing this story is because helped me understand the importance of sharing this through Authority Artifacts. Thanks Justin! ❤️
When I worked on my first book, part of me thought I was crazy.
Writing a book felt huge. 👀
Still, the story kept calling me to write it, so eventually I did.
I hired an editor for around $2,500 and remember sitting in front of my computer looking through what she sent back.
My heart dropped. 💔
There were all these things she saw as wrong.
My heart clenched, I felt myself closing off, and it was hard to breathe. 💨
At first, I thought maybe I just had a problem taking constructive feedback.
She was the editor.
She knew more than I did.
So I gulped down my fears and decided she knew best.
I made many of the changes she suggested.
There were some things I couldn't bring myself to change because they felt too wrong.
And I'm glad I kept them. ❤️
But with some of the other changes, I felt gross. 😷
Unauthentic.
It didn't feel completely like my story anymore.
And I learned another lesson the expensive way. 💰
This was a picture book, and I'd had the illustrations created before the editing process.
Once the story changed, some of the pictures had to be created again.
Then I ran into problems formatting the book. 📕
I kept trying, hiring help where I could, and ultimately spent around $5,000 on the book without making that money back. 💵
I'm still thankful I wrote it. 😊
That experience taught me lessons I carry into the way I guide writers today.
Looking back, I would ask that version of myself something different before worrying about illustrations, formatting, publishing, or promotion:
What do you want this story to do for you?
How do you want the reader to feel?
When a child hears this story, what do you want them to leave with?
That's part of why I teach Story First™.
A framework can give you direction.
An editor can point out something you haven't seen.
A team can help you through parts of the process you don't have to carry alone.
But none of them can decide what your story means to you. 🥺
💥 I guide. The writer chooses where we're going. 💥
Because every writer brings different experiences, intentions, and stories to the page.
If we reduce that to a copy-and-paste formula, we risk losing the writer's heart behind the words. ✍️
The framework should serve your story.
Your story shouldn't have to serve the framework.
That's why I GUIDE and help those writers find their path and support them to stay on it.
If this connected to you, reach out, DM or comment below! 👇
I'd love to discuss it more with you! ❤️
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Why I Teach Story First
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