Why write personal stories?

I was once put on gardening leave because of false allegations made about me. Over three months at home so I wrote a novel. That was 15 years ago. I had it edited but never bothered to try to get it published.

It was my way of making sense of the world. My way of getting through the days, with a dark cloud threatening to dampen my spirits, trapping me indoors for fear of being caught in a torrent of disapproval.

Writing helped me see small patches of blue sky—as my Grandma used to say, “enough to make a pair of sailor’s trousers.” Enough to carry me through to the next chapter, where my writing could flow beyond the confines of my personal hard drive.

A few years later, my daughter Holly took her own life. I placed the landline phone back on its stand and stepped through a shimmering portal into a new world where everything was familiar but fundamentally changed. The air felt like liquid, and every step required a little more effort.

I soon discovered that this new daughterless dimension could not accommodate the old me. I trained to be a counsellor, and one day, my tutor said, “ Your writing is beautiful; you should get some published.”

Was he the lockkeeper, finally easing the gates open and allowing my grief to flow into the ocean? I found an online platform and wrote about Holly — my grief, my pain — then myself — the joys and struggles of childhood — the lock gates are open, and now nothing can hold back the flow.

Very Personal Growth is a publication dedicated to personal stories.

Why write personal stories? Because each of us encounters storms, others haven’t weathered, and by laying our truths bare, we give others permission to do the same. If my journey through false allegations, a novel born in a lockdown, and the grief of losing Holly has taught me anything, it’s that words can heal — both the writer and the reader. At Very Personal Growth, we believe your story matters. Share yours today, and let your words open the floodgates for someone else’s healing.