Ann Kroeker, Writing Coach

Nearly everyone who writes personal stories in any form has agonized over how much to share. Will writing about an issue from childhood break Mom's heart? Should I change the name of a high school teacher? The next-door neighbor? The dog? The children? Are the hyacinths blooming by the mailbox worth mentioning? We write. We worry. Is this naval gazing or vulnerability? Will people feel I'm airing the dirty laundry or sharing my own struggles so others might find healing? https://youtu.be/bzd7a8J4UXc Stories Bring YOU into Your Writing But...stories! Goodness, stories set your projects apart from all other essays, articles, and books, because only you had that encounter, that experience, that struggle, that transformation. When you make a claim and support it with your own life story, no one else could have written that piece. Stories create connection between reader and writer. Stories convey universal truths through specific situations. You don't have to share y