Relationships special

Editor’s Picks — Top 10: How To Be More Vulnerable When Writing a Good Story

Let’s have a look at our top 10 stories today

It’s odd, isn’t it? How we often feel like we need to pretend everything is fine when we’re feeling broken. As writers, we can do away with the pretence.

Good stories are the ones you don’t want to tell. They tell the reader about your concealed truth. Since most people don’t share true feelings, it gives you the edge.

Good stories are stressful to write.

You want to publish them, but then you feel uneasy. When you start to feel uncomfortable, it means your story reveals your soft underbelly.

You’re here, to tell the truth — something that’s drastically missing from society these days — and your truth could help other people. ~ Tom Kuegler

For example, in my story about ‘facing your fears,’ I wrote a passage explaining my biggest fear. ‘Will my readers think that I have written these words because I am a writer, and this is what writers do to earn money? or will they understand that I am a writer because I care to share my inner feelings?’

You don’t want to be vulnerable. You don’t want your friends and family to know the personal details of your life. Or you are afraid of other people judging you and leaving rude comments.

“For God’s sake, tell us something that will save us from ourselves. Take a deep breath and tell us your deepest, darkest secret, so we can wipe our brow and know that we’re not alone.” ~ Alan Watts

How can you overcome these fears? Is there a way to be more vulnerable? What are the techniques that successful writers use?

Hemingway advised practicing extreme vulnerability, “There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.” Stephen King preaches fearless vulnerability, “The only requirement to be an author is the ability to remember every scar.” And then write a story about it. Tim Denning wants you to “Share the full story without editing out parts that make you uncomfortable.”

One way to face your fears is by telling yourself that readers don’t care as much about your story as you do. People skim, skip, and forget what you wrote. Do you remember every article you read?

Vulnerable writing is challenging. Good writers reach the emotional center of any topic in a few sentences.

So, to be vulnerable when writing a good story, write until you feel unease about what you are writing.

When a reader knows you wrote a piece from your heart, he or she feels the same feeling you were experiencing when you wrote those words. It requires a lot of practice.

And creating those feelings is at the core of all good stories. It is also the badge of honor good writers strive to earn.

“When I was writing my book, I was worried about exposing myself like this, and being this honest…I just procrastinated and procrastinated because I was just dreading writing this book, while still feeling like this was a necessary book to write.” ~ Roxane Gay in Hunger: A Memoir of (My )Body

Here is a list of our top 10 stories today — by writers who know how to be more vulnerable when they are writing:

10. Your Relationships Are Failing Because You Can’t Let Go

Alice Vuong is living life imperfectly and as creatively as possible. She writes about creativity, motherhood, and personal growth.

She is a wonderful writer. Her writing style is thorough, well-researched, and easy to follow. Do check her other work.

As Belgian psychotherapist, Esther Perel, “the quality of our relationships determines the quality of our lives.” Relationships are the cornerstone of every person’s life. Your success, your failures, creativity, quality of life, and every in between depends on how you manage your relationships.

9. I Was In An Abusive Relationship

Duncan King is originally from London and has lived in Prague, Czech Republic since 2012. He writes about his experiences there as well as the topics that interest him most.

He is a fine writer. His writing style is simple, elegant, and easy to read. He is new to Medium and needs your love.

I was once in an abusive relationship.

When I tell people this story they always ask, without fail, “Why did you stick around so long?”

I look back on that time in my life and I can’t give an honest answer, I just simply don’t know. On reflection, I think it was probably to do with low self-esteem, thinking I probably couldn’t do any better.

8. Love Requires Lies

Martin Vidal is an excellent writer. His writing style is witty, intriguing, and very engaging. Don’t miss his stories.

Love asks more of a person than they can ever do. Love asks more of a person than they can ever be. For this, love requires lies.

There are lies of glamour: We spend extra time getting ready to maintain in our lover’s mind the impression that we always look so put together. We dress up our behavior and cosmeticize our flaws to convince them we’re just a little bit better than we actually are. The early stages of love are all finery.

7. A terrible incident that united two people

Deepak Sethi is an indie author having two novels on Amazon.1) Love you forever and ever.2)It takes two hands to clap. He is on medium now and writing short stories/articles.

He is an excellent writer. His writing style is honest, charming, and very engaging. Don’t forget to check his other work.

Sarah was five months pregnant and eagerly awaiting her first child. One day as she was on her way to the market with her husband, the car met with a terrible accident and she was admitted to hospital. Her parents were by her side in the hospital and were in tears seeing her in such a bad condition. She was recovering slowly and with time getting better. After a few days, her parents broke the news that her husband was no longer alive and she also came to know that she had suffered a miscarriage.

6. When You Feel You Don’t Deserve Your Partner

Alma Girau. Shameless. Latinx. Embroidery artist and writer.

She is a good writer. Her writing style is easy to read, honest, and personal. Don’t miss this one.

My partner and I have been together for 4 years now. We’re in a great place in our relationship where I feel an immense amount of gratitude for having him by my side. I feel completely secure and just really happy.

This is new though. Really new. When things started to get serious, like move-across-the-country-to-be-with-me-because-I-got-a-job-somewhere-else serious, that was when I started having a bit of a meltdown.

5. How A Mistaken Swinger’s Party Taught Me To Trust My Instincts

Janie Emaus is an author and blogger.

She is an excellent writer. Her writing style is honest, charming, and thought-provoking. You should definitely check her other work.

Have you ever been in the wrong place at the right time? Experienced a moment which changed your life for the best, although you didn’t know until it was over?

I have.

It was the seventies. The decade of tie-dye clothes, disco dancing, big hair and swinging. It was my decade of wanting so badly to be loved, to find a husband, to start a family that I was willing to say yes to anything.

4. Four Reasons Why You Should Learn to Accept And Appreciate ‘Change’

Madoc Maduka is an entrepreneur, writer, and humanitarian.

He is an excellent writer. His writing style is easy to read, honest, and engaging. Do check his other work.

I remember wasting my time trying to fix a relationship that has fulfilled its purpose because I was unprepared to willingly accept change and move on with my life. Frustrations and undue stress have always been the outcome each time I resisted change and tried to create an imagined preferable reality for myself.

3. You Better Be With Someone Who Does These 5 Things for You

Godofredo Rojas is a coach, writer, and constant learner. He wishes to inspire people through personal stories.

He is a fine writer. His writing style is simple, direct, and engaging. Don’t forget to check his other great stories.

“The saddest thing is to be a minute to someone, when you’ve made them your eternity.”― Sanober Khan

Life is short to waste your time on people who don’t esteem, respect, or value the effort you keep making to build a solid relationship.

But on the other side, it’s been hard to find your “better half.”

2. 4 Ways to Avoid a Crappy Relationship

Wendy Scott is a Brit living in Auckland. Learning & Development professional writing about leadership and personal development.

She is an excellent writer. Her writing style is honest, direct, and very engaging. Don’t miss this one.

We’ve all been there. We’re tired of dating and finally think we have met The One. If we met him through work or friends, we can be pretty sure he’s not a serial killer, cat burglar, or international spy with a license to kill.

If we’ve met him online, we’ve verified that he looks like his picture, checked out he has a job on LinkedIn, and stalked all of his friends and family on Facebook.

1. Did You Know: Your Broken Heart is Your Biggest Gift?

At number one today, it is Emily Wilcox. She says, “I imagine in a parallel universe I might be a caricaturist or a botanist or somewhere asleep on the moon — but here, I am a writer.”

And she is an exceptional writer. Her writing style is appealing, easy to read, and intense. Do check her other work.

One thing I hate about love is that it can be broken.

It can fracture, shatter, scar. It is the gravitational force of our own hearts, possibly the most powerful energy in the universe, and by far the most fragile. We, as humans, are not equipped to handle love at its maximum potential, we’re too clumsy, too frantic, too unsure. This is why we so often injure it, instead. And ourselves in the process.

This post is part of the Top 10 Series — you can meet 500+ top writers with these links:

1–2–3–4–5–6–7–8–9–10–11–12–13–14–15–16–17–18–19–20–21–22–Curated 23–24–25–26–27–28–29–30–31–32–33–34–35–36–37–38–39–40–41–42–43–44–45–46–47–48–49–50–51–52 –53–54–55–56–57–58–59–60–61–62–63–64–65–66–67–68–69–70–71–72–Curated 73– Curated 74–Curated 75–Curated 76–Curated 77–Curated 78–79

Final Thoughts

If your story was selected in the Top 10, please share another story with a brief introduction and a short convincing review — in the comments. (Please write the review in the third person and start it with your name.)

I must have missed something today. I cannot read every story on Illumination and Illumination-Curated. I try — and fail daily — to read all of the masterpieces.

I am inviting you to join our private Facebook group for Illumination writers. Also please follow my publication — positive minds.

Iꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ꜰɪɴᴅ ᴀɴʏ ᴍɪsᴛᴀᴋᴇ, ᴛʏᴘᴏ, ᴏʀ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ᴇʀʀᴏʀ, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ʟᴇᴀᴠᴇ ᴀ ᴘʀɪᴠᴀᴛᴇ ɴᴏᴛᴇ ꜰᴏʀ ᴄᴏʀʀᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ. Tʜᴀɴᴋs.

To be included as a top 10 writer, read these curation guidelines carefully.

You can read my curated stories here

How To Become an Effective Writer in One Day ( CHOSEN FOR FURTHER DISTRIBUTION)

How Eight of My Stories Were Chosen for Further Distribution in 48 Hours ( CHOSEN FOR FURTHER DISTRIBUTION)