Being the oldest child, an introvert, and a lover of journals, I’m naturally a planner. I love making lists and plans, I actually enjoy writing out schedules. There’s nothing more satisfying than creating an aesthetically-pleasing list of goals, or completing a story outline. The problem is following my carefully-laid plans.

Often, we attribute our lack of action or procrastination on fear. We are afraid we won’t be good enough, afraid that we aren’t smart enough to figure something out, afraid this isn’t actually what we are supposed to be doing.

When I was in high school, I competed in speech and debate. I’m a bit of an anomaly in that I loved public speaking, especially when it came to the speeches in which I told stories.

Those speeches were relatively easy: I wrote them, I memorized them, I performed them. I was confident in my material and I communicated that confidence.

But then, there were limited prep speeches. Yes, they are as scary as they sound.

Limited preparation speeches made you draw a topic – any topic – and then prep for only a few minutes and then deliver an entire speech off the cuff. Because I’m a writer, I could come up with content for these speeches. I had lots of thoughts I could share.

But I often didn’t share those thoughts and ended up squandering my five minute speeches with generic stories and anecdotes.

I did alright with these speeches, but I knew I could be better. So, I talked to my speech coach. He asked me if I believed that my content was fascinating. I told him, no. There were many more people with many more thoughts than me, people who were smarter and more engaging and with more interesting lives. Compared to them, I had nothing to say.

And that was my problem.

My coach told me to speak as if what I was saying was worth hearing – was fascinating. That was really hard at first. It felt like I was projecting a false version of myself, like I’d clothed myself in the wrong attire.

But slowly, it became more natural.

Because the truth is, we all have something to say. Whether it’s through the stories that we write, our conversations with friends, or a blog post. Telling ourselves that our stories aren’t worth sharing is selling the world short. It’s giving up our greatest power. We each open doors to reveal deep truths to which no one else has the key.

It’s time to punch doubt in the mouth. Share your stories without fear. No matter how ordinary and uninteresting you think you are, you have thoughts and ideas someone else needs to hear.

Get out there.

Olivia Rogers is the co-founder of Project Canvas. She’s originally from the great state of Kansas, where she showed sheep, competitively debated, and also became involved in politics. Olivia believes that writing is the gateway to change. Writing fills the gaps between culture and politics, community and individual, religion and secularism. Storytelling is embedded on the heart of every person, and using writing to bring stories to light is another passion of hers. She’s currently studying Political Science and Philosophy at Kansas State University, with the goal of becoming a lawyer and continuing to advocate for others. You can follow her on Twitter @livtherog and her website, www.livtherog.com.

About Project Canvas

Olivia Rogers and Caroline Meek have recently published a book of writing advice and inspiration, with the help of 61 young writers from 11 different countries.

Project Canvas was made a reality largely because of the Go Teen Writers community! Many of the authors contained in the book have been involved with GTW; each one contributed a chapter on topics like developing a convincing villain, or dealing with mental illness as an artist.

“If you’re looking for a quick read to help get the wheels of inspiration turning in your mind again, I highly recommend Project Canvas. It’s more than just another how-to guide. It’s a series of love letters from writers who know what it’s like to struggle and strive toward those two prized words we all long to write: ‘The End.’” –Brian McBride

It’s been amazing to get connected with all these writers from around the world. We kind of grew up with the Go Teen Writers community as a guide for what it means to be a writer, and we hope this book gives something back.  

Whether you’re deep in the trenches of NaNo right now or just starting to tell your story, we hope Project Canvas inspires you and reminds you that your words are powerful.

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