Do you want to be a writer but don’t know if you have what it takes or where to begin?

Many people tell me they want to be a writer but they don’t think they have anything to say. “Nobody would be interested anyway,” said one of my workshop participants.

Oh, yeah?

Please read and consider the wisdom in both of the following quotes and then ask yourself again if you have something to say . . . then say it, in words, on paper.

There is a time in every man’s education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance; that imitation is suicide; that he must take himself for better, for worse, as his portion; that though the wide universe is full of good, no kernel of nourishing corn can come to him but through his toil bestowed on that plot of ground which is given to him to till. The power which resides in him is new in nature, and none but he knows what that is which he can do, nor does he know until he has tried. Not for nothing one face, one character, one fact, makes much impression on him, and another none. This sculpture in the memory is not without preestablished harmony. The eye was placed where one ray should fall, that it might testify of that particular ray. We but half express ourselves, and are ashamed of that divine idea which each of us represents. It may be safely trusted as proportionate and of good issues, so it be faithfully imparted, but God will not have his work made manifest by cowards. A man is relieved and gay when he has put his heart into his work and done his best; but what he has said or done otherwise, shall give him no peace. It is a deliverance which does not deliver. In the attempt his genius deserts him; no muse befriends; no invention, no hope. (Ralph Waldo Emerson)

Some people write to make a living; others to share their insights or raise questions that will haunt their readers; others yet to understand their very souls. None of these will last. That distinction belongs to those who write only because if they did not write they would burst… These writers give expression to the divine — no matter what they write about. (Anthony DeMello)

Voilà! If you love to write, my friend, you are a writer. Write on!

A dear and longtime friend shared this poem with me many years ago and it’s been an inspiration and comfort to me ever since.

Two things will never

abandon you in life;

the all-seeing eye of God

that beholds everything you do;

and the heart of your mother

that follows you always.

Having a mother who brought us into the world is something we all share. Not all of our mothers are still living and not all of us had mothers who were able to provide us with the kind of love we needed. Still, our mothers gave us life, and for that reason alone, being grateful to our mothers on Mother’s Day is an appropriate way to honor her and to celebrate our own lives. Many of us may have more than one mother, or more than one woman who loved, nurtured and cared for us when our birth mother was unable to provide us with everything we needed at the time we needed it.

Mother’s Day is a day to remember and honor all mothers, birth mothers, foster mothers, adoptive mothers, step-mothers, mothers who weren’t able to love their children the way God intended, and mothers who had so much love they could share it with many children. They are all precious in God’s eyes.

If you feel so inclined, try writing a brief story about your mother, something you remember about her and how she impacted your life in a positive way that may be something you’ve always known but never shared with her, or perhaps something that took you years to figure out. If she’s still living, send it to her via e-mail, or better yet, if you won’t see your mother on Mother’s Day, call her on the phone and read it to her. Trust me, you will make her day!

Earlier this morning, if you had the opportunity to watch the installation of the silver spire atop One World Trade Center in lower Manhattan of New York City you probably thought back to that horrifying morning on September 11, 2001, when the Twin Towers were destroyed.

That morning, I believe, changed all of us, albeit in different ways that we are still living out in our individual, one-of-a-kind lives. What we celebrate as One today, however, is how people in New York, and perhaps around the world, came together to make what happened this morning possible. They called it on the TODAY Show, a symbol of hope.

What follows is the first few paragraphs of the first of Pam’s Pocketbooks, Be the Hero of Your Own Story, that calls each one of us to live our lives—however long we live—on purpose, fully and completely, not from a place of fear but from a place of love, authentically and humbly, courageously and morally.

The Importance of Personal Stories

On September 11, 2001, people around the world witnessed a new definition of what it means to be a hero. On that one, perfectly beautiful late summer morning in New York City, Washington, D.C., and rural Pennsylvania, more than 300 first responders and private citizens died attempting to save others’ lives without first asking their race, religion, culture, sexual orientation or social, educational or financial status. Since then, hundreds more have died from injuries and illnesses caused as a result of their heroism following attacks on the World Trade Center, Pentagon, and the failed attack on our U.S. Capitol, causing the deaths of nearly 3,000 innocent and unsuspecting victims.

Something else changed that day as a result of those unspeakable tragedies—more and more of us around the world awoke to the uniqueness, the fragility, and the preciousness of our own lives, the lives of our loved ones—in fact, the value of every human life.

Like the heroes of 9/11, we become the heroes of our own stories not only when we take responsibility for who we are and why we’re here, but also when we become consciously aware of the fact that the choices we are making in the present are affecting the quality, meaning and purpose of our own one-of-a-kind lives.

There’s no better time than right now to begin this important journey of self discovery. Who are you? Why you are here? What do you live for? What would you die for? What gives your life meaning and purpose? Following are the basic steps you can take as you begin to write your life story, along with a listing of helpful books and resources.

Good luck and bon voyage!

For want of a nail the shoe was lost.

For want of a shoe the horse was lost.

For want of a horse the rider was lost.

For want of a rider the message was lost.
For want of a message the battle was lost.
For want of a battle the kingdom was lost.
And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.

This proverb has been around for a long, long time (like hundreds of years), from many different cultures. You might call this perennial wisdom (the best kind).

 You are important. Your life is important. Your actions, your attitudes, your beliefs, your contributions make a difference in the world. You create your own reality through your choices in thought, word and deed every day. You can be the hero or the victim of the circumstances of your life—of your own, one-of-a-kind story. The choice is yours and if you choose to become the hero, there is plenty out there—including right here—to support you on your journey.

Welcome  . . . and thank you for visiting the new Be the Hero of Your Own Story® website.

Here you will find quotes, references and frequent blogs about life-story or personal history writing that hopefully will encourage you to try writing a few personal stories of your own.

If you’re here via the Pam’s Pocketbooks link, thank you for your interest but they are no longer available for sale. Rather, I am sharing them with those who participate in my workshops or other events I facilitate. However, I may post them all here, for anyone who wants to access them.

There will be nothing for sale at this website and no advertising, endorsements or promotions. I will include a list of references and you alone can decide if they’re helpful or not. I am simply sharing what has been helpful to me about the value and power of life-story writing.

My inspiration for the limited scope of this website is a quote by legendary American writer, Edith Wharton (1862-1937), who became the first woman to win a Pulitzer Prize, in 1921, for her novel, Age of Innocence. 

“There are two ways of spreading light; one is to be the candle, the other, the mirror that reflects it.”

So, please think of this website and my blogs as mirrors, reflecting back to you what I have learned that has been of value to me.

I hope with all my heart that at least some of what I share here might also be helpful to you.

Write on, my friends, write on,

Pam Daugavietis