Read Time: 3 minutes
Do you remember the moment you realized you were destined to be a storyteller?
I’ve read about people knowing at an early age that writing was their life calling. Their self-awareness compels me to wear a Scrooge-like demeanor because I’m not that storyteller.
I’m a late bloomer which places extra pressure on my shoulders causing me to feel like time’s running out.
Master the craft by yesterday. Destroy word counts every day. Finish your book this year.
Becoming a skilled storyteller can be a twisted tale, and much like A Christmas Carol, its journey can be filled with ghosts from the past, present, and future. These are mine…
THE GHOST OF STORYTELLER’S PAST
Every weekend, the Ghost of Storyteller’s Past whispered, “just write.”
The ghost taunted me to write bad poetry again. The ghost mocked me for the time I stopped plotting my story because of the big lie. The ghost laughed knowing I hadn’t picked up a pen or spoken to the page for years.
I spent my 20’s silencing the ghost, until an epiphany struck in the bathroom. I was washing my hands when a voice spoke, “You’re going to write novels.”
I met my eyes in the mirror, actualized the madness, and said aloud, “I’m going to write novels.”
THE GHOST OF STORYTELLER’S PRESENT
On Thursday, December 24, 2022, the ghost begins my Christmas Eve with a tease…
The Ghost of Storyteller’s Present lectures me about sleeping in, waking at 5:00am, and rising at 5:30am. The ghost points at my office bookshelf lacking my debut novel. The ghost points at my trunked novel drafts. The ghost points at my new story premise.
That’s the ghost inside today, always present and ever-haunting.
THE GHOST OF STORYTELLER’S FUTURE
We haven’t yet entered the New Year, but the Ghost of Storyteller’s Future already visits.
The ghost questions how many words I’ve written during January. The ghost asks what kind of visual storytelling tools I’ve shared with the humans in February. The ghost demands the head count of how many sapiens I’ve helped by the end of March.
The ghost obsesses that 2023 must be the year I write more words than I thought possible. The ghost warns 2023 must be the year I publish my debut novel. The ghost informs 2023 must be the year I invest and donate more time and money than ever before.
The ghost cautions me this will be the year more people criticize. The ghost dares me to build more connection and community across the earth.
The Ghost of Storyteller’s Future already moves me through 2023 and beyond.
THERE’S STILL TIME
I don’t know how to exorcise the ghosts haunting the story of my life.
But maybe I shouldn’t.
Because just recently, a voice told me there’s still time to become a master storyteller and bestselling author.
But then another voice screamed I must make more sacrifices to reach my potential. And that voice told me what those sacrifices must be.
The sacrifices scare me more than the ghosts.
Except I’m committed to fulfilling my purpose and transforming what others call a dream into reality.
Maybe you are, too?
So maybe you should face the ghost from your past?
Maybe you should get comfy with the ghost in the present?
Maybe you should ask the ghost to visit you in the future through 2023 so you can turn the vision in your head into a story that touches lives?
Happy hauntings, holidays, and more!