My Life in Paragraphs: Find and Tell Your Stories

Your wisdom lives inside your stories. Delight in discovering them: the fifty-two prompts in this thoughtful book will shine a light and show the way.

"What a gift this beautiful book will be to the people lucky enough to read and act on it."-Bernadette Jiwa, bestselling author of Story Driven

My Life In Paragraphs is for the "reluctant storyteller," the person who doubts anybody cares to know the details of their lives, worries their personal stories don't deserve to take up time, and yet, has gained invaluable insights whenever they've taken a moment to reflect.

• Communicate what you've held dear over the years-your most cherished values
• See what losses and gains shaped your life in meaningful ways
• Gain the skills and confidence to effectively share the stories you unearth
• Positively impact the lives of loved ones and strangers alike

Because telling each other stories reveals what made us who we are. It allows us to witness one another; we learn who we've shown up for and who showed up for us.

Our stories create meaning, connection, direction, and a sense of awe and gratitude. Stories matter.

This is the discovery author April Bell, a former reluctant storyteller, made when she took the questions she poses to her legacy video clients-and turned them on herself.

My Life In Paragraphs is centered on fifty-two thought-provoking story prompts. They're arranged into four themes.

• Earth: Grounding and Values
• Air: Hopes and Dreams
• Fire: Passions and Motivations
• Water: Emotions

April guides you by the hand through these questions, and her one-paragraph-at-a-time method of storytelling that gathers momentum with each gentle step, no writing skills required.

For inspiration, you can read essays about the journey of others who overcame reluctance, dug into their stories, and found clarity they didn't even know was missing.

The process will guide you to "your story." You'll arrive there with more ease than you ever imagined, and be amazed by its richness.

The second half of the book includes tips for crafting and sharing your story-so whether you "publish" in a conversation with a loved one, a handwritten note, or an iPhone app for capturing and sharing videos, you'll know exactly what to do.

Why you should give the My Life In Paragraphs process a try.

"As a scientist, I've spent my life seeing stories in data; this process has taught me to recognize the power in each individual human story."-Dr. Ann Blake, environmental scientist and change-maker, memoirist

"What April crafted guides you deeper and deeper into the story until you're face to face with the actual values that you hold most dear. And that's the moment when you realize, 'Oh, I see why this works.'"-Dan Senter, spiritual leader

"As a creative director, I learned early on that brands that allow their audiences to feel safe, heard, intelligent and worthy are the ones people love most. April's approach does all of this and her book is a great starting point for people to tell their stories with pride and grace."-Jon Soto, creative director

"Wow! What a beautiful and practically useful book. It is written in such a clear and accessible way, I can imagine using the prompts and process and came away with motivation to explore my personal stories and those of others too."-Laurie Senter, educator

Open this book and enjoy the fun, discovery, and magic that transpire when you let go of being a "reluctant storyteller" and bring your stories to life, one paragraph at a time.