Shhhhh…Stop Talking!

Stop Talking. Start doing.

Have you ever noticed when you have a good story to tell or a secret, your entire body tingles with anticipation of sharing it? It is nearly impossible to keep it in. To guard it.

That is the nature of a story. It is how we feel when we start drafting our social media post while in the moment, like we are narrating our own life to an unknown audience. It is a bit wonky, but part of being a writer, I think.

Your novel is the same way. It is a story calling for release into the world. It wants to be told. To be shared.

Don’t.

It’s a trick.

Stories are fickle things. The energy around them is finite and transferable. The moment you start telling people about your story, the less you will want to put it on the page. Why? Because it is already out there. It’s been shared. That anticipation is gone. That excitement is forever diminished. The secret is out. The story is revealed. There is no longer an impetus to write it down.

It is your job as the writer to steward your story into being. To foster it. Nurture it. The best way to do this is to preserve it on the page. Tuck it into the corners and let it fill the page. Don’t break off bits and pass them about. You will never finish that way. At least, not in my experience.

If I want to keep a story alive and the excitement around it, I exercise my right to remain silent. Try it. It might work for you too.