11 Ways to Share your Love of Stories

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There are only really three things I've ever been good at:

1) Writing

2) Speaking

3) Enabling others

But at the heart of it all, and something I've always loved, is stories.

Writing stories, understanding other people's stories.

As an author, conveying and sharing a story with readers is what I do. 

Because writers love stories and so do readers.

Writers are also readers.

11 Ways to Share your love of Stories

1) Write a review. Even if it's only a few words, on Amazon or Goodreads. Writers love some feedback and books with reviews are more likely to be bought. If you loved a story and want others to discover it, a review will really help.

2) Blog about them. If you have a blog, stories make great engaging content, or if you read a story that you are itching to comment on, whether good or bad,  blog about it. 

I wrote a blog post recently on The Good, The Bad and The Ugly of books and had a conversation with a writer whose work I really love, Stephen Leather, as a result.

3) Vlog. If writing isn't your thing or you really want to convey your passion for a story in person, do a video blog about it. You could read the story to the camera and share your take on it.

4) Podcast. If you don't want to see yourself on camera or perhaps want to have some fun with sound effects, an audio blog is a great way to share your thoughts and ideas. 

There's something quite intimate about wearing headphones and listening to someone speaking to you, it's somehow more absorbing than watching a video.

5) Print a chapbook. Not sure what a chapbook is? Here's a neat Wikipedia article that sums it up well: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chapbook. 

Create a small pamphlet of stories to give to people.

6) Write a feature article. Write an article about stories that inspire you and publish it online ie: on Goodreads or LinkedIn

7) Tell the author. Contact the author on Social Media and tell them what you thought. I've had people message me on Twitter and Facebook  to say hello and tell me they enjoyed my writing and it's brilliant. It's a tiny thing that can really make someone's day. 

Writers are a solitary bunch and we put out a lot of content without getting much feedback. Every small connection is precious to us.

8) Join a book club, or start your own. Watching movies and box-sets is often a shared experience, and what films we've seen recently is a popular topic in social situations, but it's unusual to find people who've read the same books. Social reading is a great way to share our thoughts on stories.

9) Host a book party. This was an idea that popped into my head and I'm not sure how it would work but it's something I'm considering. Get a few friends together who are keen readers and bring some books to swap. Have a chat over a drink and some nibbles and share the stories that moved us.

10) Interview an author. The thing about authors, like any 'small business', is that we love talking about what we do. We're passionate about our stories and our characters. Any excuse to talk about them is warmly welcomed. Many authors would be happy to be approached by a reader and be interviewed (although you may struggle to pin down someone famous - I suspect Stephen King or JK Rowling may be too busy and expensive to get!). 

A local writer or independent author would be much easier to speak to - a Tweet could be that start of a new friendship.

11) Go to an Open Mic event or host your own. Most towns and cities will have a community of writers looking for opportunities to share their work.

In the city of Bristol UK where I live, there is a growing community of writers. I wrote an article recently listing some of the regular events going on in the city: http://www.bristolprospectus.co.uk/when-writers-come-out-to-play/

How do you share stories you love?