This thought must pass through every writer’s mind: Am I good enough to write a book? 

Sometimes when I sit down to write, I compare myself to writers I admire or wonder whether my ideas are clear enough or my jokes funny enough. I hear the questions that indicate this insecurity from my writing clients too. “Do my stories make sense? Are they relatable? Do you like them?”

Not to be too dramatic, but as writers, we expect great things of ourselves. Are we capable of attaining that, or will we be mocked for being audacious enough to try?

While that does sound dramatic, it can feel downright terrifying to put our hearts on the line in our writing. So how do we become brave enough to share the stories that mean the most to us?

Here’s the thing that we forget. The people picking up our books are not sitting in judgment, waiting for the opportunity to put us in our place. Most readers are much kinder than we give them credit for. They’re actually looking for guidance that will help them uncover possibilities they can’t see yet. 

Here’s what your readers need from you as a writer:

Your story doesn’t need to solve world peace, but a story that affects your reader’s inner peace is just as meaningful. A compelling story touches people; it shows them something about themselves they may not think is feasible. In other words, it holds the potential of transformation. Your story comes from your experience and passes through your perspective as a truly unique message.

Does your writing need to be a literary masterpiece? No. These aspects of your writing can help you be the kind of storyteller that people want to hear from:

1. Choose stories that speak to what your readers want or need.

• A powerful story keeps people emotionally engaged and helps them see some aspect of themselves in it. When you carry them along with you, your story can find a foothold in their head and heart. 

2. Make your story easy to follow. 

• Leading your readers through the story allows them to relax. A confused reader will move on to something else.

3. Illustrate the transformation. 

• When you reveal the transformation in a way that your readers can feel, that transformation becomes available to them too. What better way to make a positive impact?

4. Articulate the power in your story. 

• The good news is that writing this way can be learned!

To answer that burning question: are you good enough to write a book?

If you have shared your story before, what were the reactions you got? How has your story already affected lives? If it has helped, inspired, or motivated someone, you may be onto something. 

If you haven’t shared your story yet, find the courage to tell it to someone you trust. When they have questions about it, that’s an indication of how you can improve your story with more detail (or maybe less detail if there’s too much). 

The myth of needing to be some literary giant to be worthy of publishing your book is simply a belief that our fears make real, not imagining that we can be as good as some of the authors we look up to. 

Your story is part of you. Sharing it with others is your choice. When you do, you open up a world of possibility for others that you have discovered through your own transformation. Telling your story in your unique voice, with your passion and experience behind you, is your ticket to becoming a voice worth listening to.