#15- Unpacking 3 Gifts from Your Own Story

WIth Christmas upon us, what better time to give away another snippet of my recent book on writing.  We'll begin today where we left off while talking about back story.

"Moving along farther in the life of “Backwoods Bob” we find that in sixth grade he started fishing the Spring River rather than doing homework after school.  There he regularly caught Rainbow Trout and bought a handbook to identify different trees, animals and flowers. 

After barely getting into the local Community College he pursued a degree in Environmental Science, but was unable to finish because he lost his job painting houses during the summer of his Freshman year.  His grandfather would have helped him but he developed....you guessed it- cancer....and spent the remainder of his life savings in the Pleasant Valley Nursing home.  On top of that he met a girl named Christine Bates one day while walking down to the river.  

She had tripped over a root and her book bag opened up spilling a couple of books, one  being the same exact book Bob bought back in sixth grade.  

They went to the movies, ate pizza on Friday nights, played cards on Labor Day weekend, then....You guessed it.  She started losing weight, and energy, and the sparkle in her eye and she went to her doctor and found out she had.....

Right again, cancer.  Six months later Bob placed his copy of “The Roadside book of Ecology” in her casket before they closed it forever".

1.  Your own back story is perfectly preserved like an ant in pine resin.  You can pick at it, dissect it and rearrange it however you like.

2.  You could write a book based on your back story.  It's sure to be original and the world is waiting to hear it.

3.  A better understanding of your back story will help you determine the design of future chapters.

Back story is vitally important because it helps us to realize where people are coming from and what motivates them.  Your story without it's backstory is like a sky without stars.

We hope and pray you will find peace and joy in the New Year as you continue to make sense of your own story and write future chapters.  Merry Christmas!