Book Review: Your Story Matters by Leslie Leyland Fields

Rating: 5 stars of 5

Your Story Matters is such an inspiring book. I initially picked it up because I try to read a little bit about writing every year and when I saw Ann Voskamp’s testimonial on the cover of this book, I was immediately sold on it. Ann’s lyrical writing style had quickly earned her a spot on the list of my very favorite authors several years prior, and I trusted her recommendation.

Leslie is a writer and writing teacher. In this work, she walks the reader through the process of learning to write our stories in meaningful, vibrant, and skillful ways, even if we aren’t sure where the story is quite yet. She teaches us to slow down and just be a witness to our own lives, to flesh out a map or timeline that can help us to navigate along the journey, to craft compelling scenes with our words, to reflect on deeper meanings and truths, to bring value to our readers and find ways to connect with them, to edit well, and to take steps to share our stories. The book is thoroughly inspiring. I definitely recommend it for anyone who is interested in writing or in learning more about the process of writing, even if only for your own personal journaling practice.

Two of my favorite quotes are found in the introduction:

“Every day we are different; the world awakens new, and the memories of what was and what we’ve been, and the discovery of who we are now, could all be lost. But we have this chance now to stop. We’re stopping to ask the questions we did not know to ask. We’re stopping to find the difficult and beautiful truths of our lives. And what a gift it will be, to send this awakening, these crafted and compelling words on to others, that they - and we - may not pilgrim alone.”

“…writing the truest words we can find from our lives can order our chaotic present, help us make sense of a jumbled past, move us from grief to hope. Writing can bring healing to wounds; it can even open the door for reconciliation and forgiveness. Learning to tell a truer story will help us live a better story.”

If you are also a lover of words, I think you will enjoy it!

You can support this blog by purchasing your copy of this book from
Amazon, Bookshop, or Christian Book through one of these links.