HOW TO FIND STORIES FOR YOUR BLOG/BOOK OR JUST TO PASS TO YOUR CHILDREN
In all of my books, I include many stories about my marriage and children. When I do that, what happens with you my reader?
You can relate – I go through things like you!
You can laugh – Did my husband really say that???
You can learn – Together, we journey together.
As you put together a book or blog post, maybe you struggle for material (we all do). This doesn’t just apply to bloggers/writers. As a mom, it’s wonderful when you tell stories to your kids to illustrate principles (plus it’s a lot of fun for your kids to know their mom did crazy things too).
Stories connect us.
They weave hearts together like nothing else.
I have a terrible memory. My husband on the other hand vividly remembers exactly what he was wearing and who was sitting next to him on a given day in Third grade.
It can be hard to rely on your memory to find the right illustration when you need it. So here’s what I do. When something happens in my marriage or parenting that is either funny, a milestone, a humbling experience, etc. I type out what happens on a word document. I don’t write it perfectly. I just write it quickly so I can reference it in the future.
I have categories like:
- Anger
- Birthdays
- Boredom
- Date night
- Faith
- Moving
- Potty training (I know that looks a little out of place here!)
- Prayer
- Siblings
- Toddlers
So if I need a story about a certain subject, I can pull up that page and remember things that happened like this entry about Lucy when she was a toddler:
Lucy, the door closer, age 2
1/21/12 Lucy is the door keeper! At 2 year old class, there’s a short swingingdoor and by golly, she has to close it! If Noelle goes to close it, she throws a fit! Freaks out! Teaching her, no, that’s not how you ask about the door. Both let go. Do it together. Say you’re sorry for screaming.
We get possessive about our doors too, don’t we? If God opens or closes a door, we freak out! No, I want it closed! Or NO, I want it open!
Without writing it down, I would never remember that story from four years ago. So the next time something happens in your home that seems worth repeating, write it down.
That story might appear in a book or a blog post…or a story at the dinner table someday.
And isn’t it worth a little extra effort to remember?
