This is the phrase I may get a tattoo of some day, and the one that guides me home when I get lost.
Only Story is a way to focus my ADHD ass on what is important and keep writing.
Only Story means focus on storytelling. To me, at least, the narrative is the core. Humans are natural storytellers, it’s how we communicate. Style, language, writing skill and so on are important, but secondary. Don’t worry too much about it. Just tell your story and the rest will follow. You will get better at telling stories over time, and then you can eventually trust fall into it.
Only Story helps me pull back from obsessing over or endlessly adding irrelevant details. Strip away anything that doesn’t serve the story. This doesn’t mean that you can never add things unless they advance the plot or develop a character, but it helps to reduce clutter. By all means, add that superfluous side plot if you want to, but make it a conscious decision.
Only Story is how I get back to writing whenever I start second-guessing myself and worry too much about whether I’m good enough, whether I can even call myself a writer, whether anyone will ever care. It helps me reaffirm my purpose – to tell the story. I don’t write to get followers or likes, although feedback is always hugely appreciated, but I write because I have stories to tell.
Only Story also reminds me to keep writing, because that is the only way I’ll become a better writer. Every time I write a story, I get better at writing a story. The story may not be perfect, but it will be a story. And so will the next one.
Go write it.
SirianaSims 