The Open Letter Challenge

I am participating in the Open Letter Challenge writing contest organized by Josh Irby. The following letter is my response to An Open Letter to You from the Rest of the World.


Dear World,

You say you need my story. But why? What makes mine so special?

Everyone has a different story I suppose. But there are billions of people in the world, which means billions of stories. Why should I share mine?

I'm sure lots of people have a dog, a little brother, and a mom and dad. I'm sure lots of people like chocolate and peanut butter. I bet a lot of people also have a favorite stuffed animal that's worn, so dirty it has changed color, but loved all the same. And I'm positive there are lots of girls like me out in the world who dream of becoming a published author.

So what makes me so special?

Everyone has a story to tell. Everyone. Every single person in the world has a story deep inside them waiting to be written, to be told, to be shared. But why should we share it? Couldn't we keep it to ourselves?

But we shouldn't. We can't. Imagine if J.K. Rowling had written the entire Harry Potter series and never shared a word of it. Imagine if she'd taken Harry, Ron, Hermione and all of the other beloved characters to the grave. No Hogwarts, no movies based on the books, no Harry. J.K. Rowling has offered us writers so much inspiration. Imagine if that inspiration never existed. I'm sure lots of our stories would be immensely different.

Imagine if Suzanne Collins never shared The Hunger Games. The entire dystopian genre would never have been this popular without it. Jennifer  Lawrence would never be known as Katniss Everdeen, the girl on fire and none of us would be waiting in line for the midnight premiere of "Catching Fire" in November.

See what happens when we share our stories? We impact lives. We inspire  people. We change history. By sharing just one story, your story, we allow others to share their stories. It's all one gigantic domino effect, and each of us is a domino. Don't let the chain of events stop with you. Continue it, and who knows? Maybe you'll become the next J.K. Rowling.

Sincerely,
A domino with a story to share