Your Personal Stories = Your Signature Stories
Paula Diaco
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In the December 1st issue of the WSN Journal, I talked about how narrative = story and how those personal stories are some of the best things you can share. I shared one of my own and encouraged you to mine your life and share some of yours, too.
Taking this one step further, your personal stories can be called your signature stories. And for the reasons already stated, used as a basis for all sorts of writing:
- About Me Pages
- Short and Long Bios
- Website Copy
- Your book, like a Memoir, Memoir/Inspirational or Memoir/Self-Help
Your stories are events in the history of your life, and as such, show your readers who you are, what you’ve experienced, what makes you tick, and what has transformed you.
Signature stories are uniquely yours
And people want to read them.
As a sophomore and Animal Science major in college, I took a basic Microbiology class. It taught me the science behind the various diagnostic procedures I performed in an animal pathology lab I worked in the summer before.
I loved the topic. I loved the class. It was an easy A.
The next year, I transferred to a University with a Department of Microbiology. I could now get a major in it, and I was in heaven.
I know, odd, right? Except when you love something, you want to spend time with it, learn it, and maybe even get a degree in it. And take graduate courses in it. Then work at not one but two USDA laboratories.
Yes, my whole science background is another of my signature stories, and if you go to my About Me page, you will see how I used the topic of science as a metaphor.
That’s the thing with signature stories—They are so versatile and fun to use. I have used them in presentations, Facebook Lives, my biographies—short and long—and in all sorts of content, from blog posts to LinkedIn articles.
I invite you to use them, and use them over and over again. Your stories do not get old. Your stories are repeatable. They serve as content. They are part of your personal brand. People want to hear them.
Go ahead and mine your personal life for its signature stories. You have a lot worth sharing. Which of your stories would you share first?
Paula Diaco is the owner of Write Stories Now. She helps professionals achieve greater authority and credibility by teaching them how to write content, from blog posts to books.