What Writing Taught me
Updated: Jul 23, 2020
Written by: Melissa Desveaux, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
In high school, my least favorite subject was English. Actually, any subject where I'd had to write an essay or story, I would dread attending. I honestly thought I was dumb. All my classmates excelled at writing, except me. It wasn't something I enjoyed. Truthfully, I didn't value myself or my abilities. It wasn’t until I discovered that I needed purpose, aspiration, or desire.
See, I don't have a fairytale imagination. I wouldn't even try to write a novel because it would be the most boring book you'll read. My characters need to be real, and so do my stories. I now know what my writing strengths are and where my purpose is. For me to write, I need a true reason.
To heal from a traumatic experience
To share my story to help someone who could relate and provide comfort and support
To teach something I have experienced during my life, whether it was a life experience, family, work or health-related,
To actually provide training on how to do something I’ve learned
And when I think about these reasons, they all relate to experience.
I didn’t like writing because I hadn’t experienced life yet. I didn’t know what to write about, and I had zero imagination to write anything worth writing about. After I experienced my first real traumatic life experience, that was when I started to write. I had something to write about because it helped me to heal during the grief of my pregnancy losses.
I shared my journey of pregnancy loss 100’s of times and I wrote a book about it. I wrote it because I wanted to help other mothers like me to heal, find support and comfort, and know that they are not alone.
When I started learning about publishing my books, I also shared my experience of publishing a book and how I could help do the same for others. My backstory of writing and publishing a book, created a way for me to start a business, teaching people how to start writing a personal story and then publishing it.
I’ve now written training courses, articles, blog posts, Facebook posts and chapters in book collaborations. The one thing that stands out in everything I write is that I tell a story. My purpose for healing, sharing my experiences, being able to teach something relatable and to train others, that is why I write.
Who would have thought that from one single life experience could change the way I do things? I’m no guru in writing, but I know that writing a personal story when you are trying to convey a message is powerful. Just try it on a social media post. Be vulnerable and share part of your life that relates to your message, and you’ll see the engagement skyrocket!
Even if you think you can’t write, or that your life is boring and have nothing to write about, I’m pretty sure you can turn even a little part of your life into an amazing story. I’ve been alive for 40 years, and even though I’ve written mostly about my pregnancies, my life was fairly normal before then. However, I’ll still find something to write about, just like this article.
Any turning point in your life, any epiphany, heartbreak, love, loss, journey, adventure and so much more can be turned into a story.
Writing taught me I could write about anything I wanted too just by using my story!
You can find Melissa through Facebook or her websites melissadesveauxconsulting.com and melissadesveaux.com
Melissa Desveaux, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Melissa Desveaux lives in Sydney, Australia, with her husband and two boys. She struggled through three miscarriages and had a stillborn baby from 2007 and after her sons were born, she published her memoir My Life Of Loss. Melissa has compiled and published two books written by women who have experienced pregnancy struggles and has also contributed to three anthologies. Melissa was nominated and awarded an Australia Day Award in 2017 for her dedication and contribution in helping families through pregnancy loss. In 2019 Melissa became an ambassador for the Pink Elephants Support Network, supporting mothers who have experienced miscarriage. She has also started a business helping influencers write and publish their own personal stories so they can change the world.
