August 22, 2011

Today is the last day I'll be sewing
for awhile. A friend is coming for a visit at
the end of this week so I'll be returning my
make-shift sewing room to a dining room.

I'm reading Writing as a Sacred Path by Jill Jepson. The book is about writing with passion and purpose, and it struck a cord with me. The author defines all writers as storytellers. At first I was put off by this job description, until I read more. She says: "Storytellers are the custodians of human history, the recorders of human experience, the voice of the human soul ... but storytelling does more than record and transmit human experience – it also gives form to that experience. Stories sculpt meaning, they shape how we think; they provide the framework for understanding. Stories determine what we cherish, despise or ignore. They define what it is to be human." Reading this book makes me think about what I do every day as a writer.

As a business writer, I'm often given projects that require me to write about the inexpressible and/or indescribable, and make it small and concrete enough for people to understand and consider. Although I compiled what I do into one sentence, believe me when I write that it's not as easy as it sounds, but it can be defined as storytelling. In the brochures and newsletters I write, I'm telling a story that's complete with characters (you, your family, your friends and co-workers), settings (your home, place in society, stage of life), and plots (where are you now, where do you want to go, how are you going to get there).

What I've discovered during the past six months of writing my blog is that I'm also storytelling, and that the richest source of my personal stories is ordinary, daily life. I'm not searching for fully fleshed-out ideas complete with characters, settings and plots. Instead, I'm recording day-to-day events. I find the part of the event that makes it compelling to me and create a story from it.

The exciting elements about storytelling are that whether I'm writing a brochure or blog, I'm connecting with other people and it reminds me that we're not separate, isolated individuals, but part of the same world.

Today I'm creating purses. You know, even when creating a bag, tote or bracelet it could be defined as storytelling. Is that statement too much of a leap or can you make that jump?