But Is it Icky to tell Someone Else’s Story??
Full disclosure: I did not collab with this bear--this pic came with the web template
Yes, if you do it badly, it’s not cool to tell someone else’s story. So two quick rules to live by:
Don’t tell somebody’s story without them , and
Make damn sure their story is well told.
It’s that simple.
I worked for Make-A-Wish briefly and at first I worried that finding stories would be tricky. These are kids with life-threatening illnesses—surely the families would feel private and protective.
I was wrong. Nine times out of ten, families jumped at the chance to open up. Sharing their story was affirming and it was empowering. It was a way to have a voice in the narrative they knew everyone was already telling inside their own heads.
And…. part of that trust comes from well-crafted stories.
You wouldn’t post a bad photo of a person, and you shouldn’t post bad writing, either.
Sorry, but an ax won’t make you a lumberjack, and a laptop doesn’t make you a writer.
There are a lot of great writers out there, so take the time to find one. Same goes for photography. Unless you’re a master storyteller on stage at the Moth, you need a compelling image, and a professional is worth the investment.
One last rule: Just start, and get better from there.
I’ve been very “do this, not that” in this blog post and that’s because I want to be helpful, but at the end of the day, the important thing is that you start telling stories. I’m not a digital designer, but here I am with a website, using templates and minimal images/design because that’s not my forte, but I’m DOING it, and I’ll get better as I go.
Storytelling is in our DNA. It’s part of the human experience and, done well, it lifts us all up higher.
Like with the Wish families: If having a sick kid had made them feel “othered,” finding a voice and telling their story now made them feel seen.
So stop worrying about it, and start telling stories already. You’ll be glad you did.