the power of story

this post is from June 25, 2009.

last night i was watching Inkheart - a story about the power of words. the main character had a "silver tongue" - when he read a story out loud, it came to life around him. the movie was a good reminder of how powerful our words are - but it also reminded me that stories have power.


that made me think of the quote i posted a few days ago: "Words – so innocent and powerless as they are, as standing in a dictionary, how potent for good and evil they become, in the hands of one who knows how to combine them!" ~ Nathaniel Hawthorne


maybe you're a writer and you're wondering if your stories have power.


i want to tell you that they do have power. your stories are important. whether they are good or mediocre, they are important. whether they get published or not, they are important. whether you share them with friends or keep them in your notebooks or filing cabinet or computer, they are important.


your stories matter.


in my own life, i know that when i write, even if i'm writing a story for myself, the act of writing has the power to make my heart come alive. writing is more than a hobby for me - writing is my passion.


i have a quote near the top of my blog that says, "If I don't write to empty my mind, I go mad." perhaps it should say, "if i don't write to fill my heart, i go mad." i know that i'm a happier person if i get to write at least two or three times a week. every day is better.


i also know that when i write and share my words -- as frightening as that is -- my stories have power in the lives of others. i've had people tell me that my stories have moved them, inspired them, or have given them the courage to do something they'd never thought they could do. many lives have been affected because i wrote a story and shared it.


if i hadn't written, and hadn't shared, my words would have no power at all.