Intimately Connect with Your Readers through Authentic Storytelling

Guest post by Linda Joy

From the earliest of times storytelling has been one of the most important tools used to inspire, empower, teach and comfort. In the sharing of stories, family members passed on the wisdom and values of previous generations, and communities passed on the culture and history of their people.

As little children, we were enraptured by the stories our parents told us as they tucked us into bed at night. Whether fairytale classics or stories of their own childhoods, these stories were a vehicle for us to envision possibility, experience the power of imagination and believe that anything was possible.

You are a storyteller. I am a storyteller. We all are. Each time you share your daily experiences or your intimate hopes, dreams and fears with your friends, you are a storyteller.

Each time you sit around the dinner table, reminiscing about your childhood with your family, you are a storyteller. The stories we tell one another—and ourselves—are powerful tools to communicate our unique experiences and beliefs, and the essence of who we are.

Stories are a Spirit Net

In the book, Who Says? Essays of Pivotal Issues in Contemporary Storytelling, Anthropologist Robin Ridington proposes that “stories are a spirit net.” From the moment a life experience occurs it becomes a part of our essence (spirit net); eventually, through storytelling, that experience is sent down as part of history, passed from generation to generation.

When I first read those five powerful words, “stories are a spirit net,” I felt a connection deep within my soul. Those words fully captured the essence of the vision I held in my heart back in 2010 when I first envisioned launching a book publishing company that gave heart-centered women a voice and a venue to share their stories.

The Power of Authentic Storytelling

I use the term “authentic storytelling” to describe the styles and types of stories I strive to share through my publishing projects both print and digital. I have always been drawn to the personal, intimate stories of women who have not only lived through unique and sometimes painful life experiences, but who came out the other side armed with the wisdom, love, insights and heart of the warrior woman.

Authentic storytelling showcases the essence of the storyteller or writer as she steps forward to share her triumphs and tragedies, lessons and insights. They are shared with the intent to empower, inspire, and guide the reader toward the realization that she too has the innate inner power to overcome any perceived obstacle and achieve the life of her dreams.

My Story is Your Story

My personal journey and story is no different than many other women. Who knows? My story may even be yours. On a beautiful spring day in 2001, I experienced a transformational moment which would forever alter the trajectory of my life and launch me on a journey of self-discovery which continues to this day. This journey, like those of the heroines of our favorite fairy tales, took me down the winding roads of Self-Esteem, through the valleys of Pain and Despair, and across the breathtaking mountains of Hopes and Dreams, as I sought the greatest treasure of all: my authentic self, the self who has always been there, quietly waiting for me to bring her out of the darkness.

Every heroine (or hero) needs tools to help along in the quest. The written word has been, and continues to be, one of the most powerful tools in my transformational toolkit. Words have empowered me throughout my journey from single welfare mom to best-selling inspirational publisher.

The wisdom contained within the books that became my friends and companions gave me the solace and inspiration I needed as impetus for change. Always, when my days seemed darkest, a word, a sentence, a paragraph would jump off a page at me, and provide me with the fuel I needed to keep moving forward.

Life has come full circle!

Just as books, and the wisdom within them, empowered me to change the trajectory of my life, today, as Publisher of Inspired Living Publishing, I see my role as publisher as a sacred one. I am passionately committed to publishing projects that inspire, empower and uplift women to believe in their innate truth. I am dedicated to sharing women’s powerful stories of self-discovery and transformation that reveal the truth of their experiences and lessons learned. Warrior women all, each having come through their personal quest to release the unwanted baggage of the past, and give herself permission to heal. I envision all women standing tall and shining their brilliant lights for others who are beginning their own journeys. The authors in our projects dive deep to share their story and they welcome you into their spirit nets and show you how you, too, might choose to view life through the lens of possibility and embrace the shimmering treasure that is within you.

My greatest wish for every publishing project I birth is that, through the pages of one of our books, a woman discovers the message that her heart needs and her soul longs for, and that it takes her one step (or many) further along the path to living a deeper, more inspired and authentic life.

May your story be a great one, and all your paths be inspired!

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Linda Joy is the founder and Publisher of Aspire Magazine –the premiere inspirational magazine for women as well as the Bestselling Publisher at Inspired Living Publishing (ILP). Inspired Living Publishing is part of Linda Joy’s sacred family of inspirational multi-media brands dedicated to delivering the best in empowering content and resources to support women around the world: Inspired Living Secrets, Inspired Living Giveaway, Authentic Conversations with Extraordinary Women and coming in 2015, Inspired Living University.