The Soul Story Myth

Have you ever heard a writer say: “I’ve found my soul story”? Maybe you’ve even been the one saying that. Nonetheless, on writing websites everywhere, people refer to one of their manuscripts as the mystical ‘soul story’.

A soul story is your story. The story you’re destined to tell. It’s the tale you’ve been assigned to spin by the forces that be.

I don’t believe in soul stories.

Stop gasping and close your mouth already, before I stick dynamite into it.

The soul story myth is popular among writers who have never been published. Because, when you dig a bit deeper in a writing career, there are no soul stories.

Reasons why having a ‘soul story’ can negatively affect your writing:

1)      You think of it as a part of you.

All stories we write are a part of us. However, you tend to treat a so called soul story like a child. And, every parent grows defensive when someone criticizes your little angel. Your baby is absolutely perfect!

Yeah, right. Every human has their flaws. And humans write stories. No one can make a perfect story. For many writers, including myself, it is a hard discipline to separate criticism for your story from criticizing you, the writer.  

To many, a soul story is the best story they have ever written. They think it’s amazing. It’s their special little gem. And the hammer of reality knocks them in the head. Knives and scalpels probe at all the imperfections.

It is harder to separate rejection of your soul story from rejection of yourself. A soul story is, well, part of your soul. In writing for a career, you have to be able to understand that rejection or criticisms of your stories aren’t personal.

2)      You think it doesn’t need revising or rewriting.

“My manuscript is perfect as it is. I don’t need to rewrite it or do a lot of plot revisions. Sure, I might have used the wrong ‘there’, but hey, my editor will catch it.”

Perfect rough draft= Soul story. This is one of the reasons why no professional writers really believe in this definition of soul stories. I’m willing my hand to go and slap some sense into you.

3)      You’re going to get depressed when you don’t get picked up instantly.

This is something every writer struggles with. Rejections from agents and publishers. But, with a soul story, you get angry. You want to go hire a hit team to slap some sense into them. This is your soul story. It’s so special. This is your story.

It’s normal to get angry with rejections, especially at first. But if you get it with a soul story, it drives you to the brink. You will refuse to consider the possibility that it may need a lot more work before an agent will be interested.

My definition of a soul story:

A real soul story is a journey. It is the first work you are committed to finishing. It teaches you so much about writing along the way. At the end, you are a better writer.

My soul story taught me so much about writing. It taught me how to develop characters, plot twists, set goals and, most importantly, how to revise.

This is what a soul story is. Mine is sitting on a computer file, untouched, with no plans for it. It is a trek into a treacherous land, not mapped or plotted (no pun intended), and you will barely be able to get out alive.

Face it. There are thousands upon thousands of finished manuscripts looking for publication. You aren’t very different at all from your fellow writers sending in queries to every agency they can find.

Once you take the journey of a real soul story, though, you are a step above the pack. You have learned how to travel across raging rapids. You can build a shelter to weather the strongest of storms. And it is time to face the jungle again.

The more times you complete this journey, the more skills you will learn; the more paths you will discover. Use these journeys of novel and storydom as experience. And you will be ready when the time is right to craft a novel worthy of the best seller list.

Happy writing!

~Reine~