I was struggling with the world I thought I knew versus the world I was seeing.

An author I respect once gave this advice for how to write a great story: write about what you’re going through. That could be anything from an existential crisis, to a philosophical question, to dealing with strong emotions that are hard to come to terms with. This question, or issue, should serve as the backbone of your story. Doing so will give your story that “x-factor” which makes your story stand out and become memorable to your reader, as you’re no longer simply writing a story, you’re finding the answer to your situation as you write your story. 

I’ve never before really ever told anyone why I wrote the stories that I did, “The Gift” and “The Eve’s End”. They are a full of darkness and religious conflict, a Christmas story unlike anything else. When Mark Bierman asked if I would write a guest blog post for his blog, I felt it was a good time to give the “why”. Using my own writing experiences as the example, I tell show you how to use your personal experiences to write a stand-out story. 

Head over to https://markbierman.wordpress.com/2021/05/21/please-welcome-author-stephanie-matthews-s_m_matthews/ to read the article, and make sure to check out Mark’s own novel, “Vanished”.