One of my favorite items to use as a writing prompt is a really juicy quote. I am very grateful that quotes don’t take up much space in my closet or under my bed, because the truth is I am quite the collector. Some might say I am out of control, but I disagree. There is nothing like reading a few words or sentences set between quotation marks, that speak straight to your heart. And while they may be removed from a larger piece of work, a really good quote can stand on its own. I liken them to poetry. Quotes are like little boosts of wisdom and inspiration.
You can collect quotes just for the message they offer on their own, but I love to use them for inspiration with my writing and journaling. Sometimes I choose one as a launch point for a blog post or even a story. So today may seem a little over the top, but I couldn’t help myself. As I was looking for inspiration for today’s blog post I actually came across several quotes and couldn’t choose just one. So today I share ten quotes that I believe will help motivate you to get started writing your personal and family stories.
Keep an eye on my posts on Facebook and Instagram @MelissaLovesHistory, because I have created lovely images for each of these quotes you can save to your photos on your phone or share yourself on social media or through your writing.
So, if I interviewed these ten people and asked them for a quote that would help motivate you to get started with your writing, what would they say?
“Inside each of us is a natural-born storyteller, waiting to be released.”
This one is an obvious one for me. I couldn’t agree more. Part of what defines my purpose in this endeavor is that I believe that all of us have stories that are worth telling and that we are the ones to tell those stories. Many of my listeners and readers feel hesitant to begin because they don’t consider themselves writers. Just as Robin Moore says, we all are natural born storytellers. As humans we want to be seen and understood, and sharing our stories, one way we can make that happen.
“We are all storytellers. We all live in a network of stories. There isn’t a stronger connection between people than storytelling.”
Again, here’s another quote reinforcing that we’re all storytellers, but what I love about this particular quote is the idea that we all live within the network of stories. So as we tell our family stories, we tell our own. And as we tell our own stories, there will be many others (family and friends) whose stories will be told within our stories. As we live our lives, we make connections with others, and those connections become quite clear when we start documenting our stories. This is why I believe stories can be such great gifts. There isn’t a stronger connection than storytelling. Through your stories can you strengthen your relationships, show your love and appreciation, and how much someone means to you.
“There is always one moment in childhood when the door opens and lets the future in”
I have personally used this prompt as a writing prompt and encourage you to do the same! When you look back on your life, what were the moments when the door opened and let in the future. What occurred in the past that was the seed that grew into your present? Sticking close to this quotation, I would start early in childhood, and look for those moments when something changed and opened up a whole new chapter in your life. And the number of stories you could write from this prompt is endless, because we all can look back in hindsight, and see those little moments where something shifted enabling a greater outcome or change in our life.
“Tell the story of the mountain you climbed. Your words could become a page in some else’s survival guide.”
This quote is also a powerful writing prompt. Remember, as we think about writing our stories, and bridging our past and our present or past and future, that your stories are not just a way to document our history, but also can be used to pass on the lessons you’ve learned. So what are the mountains you climbed? What are the challenges you faced that you never thought to write about because you just took them for granted. Write those stories down. There will be someone who will be facing their own challenges, who will look to your stories of challenge and survival and benefit from the hope that they, too, will survive.
The interesting part of this is that we may never know who it is that will benefit from these stories. But I can think of many times in my own life, where I read a story of someone in the past, and saw myself and my own situation in their story and thought if they could do it, so can I.
“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view… Until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.”
From a young age, I remember having a really hard time picking sides or making decisions, because I was always able to see things from other viewpoints, essentially putting myself in other people's shoes. At that age I thought I was just being wishy-washy, not being able to commit to an opinion, but as I grew, I realized that part of that was about having empathy for others.
When I read this quote, I realized that reading this exact quote for the first time in high school might have been one of the first times I was able to see what I thought was a fault as an actual gift. I’m not saying that we can always understand someone 100% by putting ourselves hypothetically in their shoes or in their skin, but I do believe it’s a really strong place to start. I also think that’s an important piece of looking at historical stories of our ancestors, and understanding that situations existed within a very different time and so, as we look at the stories, we do need to remember the point of you in which they were lived and not make assumptions or judgements from where we Stories that share other people's viewpoints are treasures.
There is nothing like finding something written in the words of someone you love who’s no longer with you. Hearing their voice in the writing is priceless.
“Memories too often die with their owner, and time too often surprises us by running out.”
Many of you have already heard my why. I share my stories and the stories of my family because I did not have my parents’ stories in their own words. My parents were in their 30s and 40s when they passed and I have surpassed their ages, and still feel like I have lots of time to tell my stories. But we never know how much time we will have so as I say, there’s no time like now, to begin writing those stories down.
“One of the saddest sentences I know is ‘I wish I had asked my mother about that.’ Or my father. Or my grandmother. Or my grandfather.’”
No further explanation needed on this one. This says it all quite clearly. Ask the questions. Write the stories.
“Stories are memory aids, instruction manuals, and moral compasses.”
As a public school teacher for many years, I’ve always felt that stories were the best ways to teach a concept. Whether it was a math concept or a life lesson, whether it was an instructional manual or fictional story, stories are the best way to reach our heart and teach a lesson.
“Tears are words that need to be written.”
Paulo Coelho is one of my favorite storytellers, and within his stories are many people sharing their stories. This quote reminds us that not all stories have happy endings. Not all stories will be easy to write. And not all stories may be meant to be shared. But writing our stories - writing the tears, allows us to process difficult feelings in a profound way.
“A book is a gift you can open again and again.”
This is it my friends! The idea of stories as a way to leave a legacy. What better gift can you give than the gift of a story (or book) filled with your essence, that your loved ones can open again and again!