
The Aware Leader – collaboration with Richard Metheny and Mark Graham Communications
Has something big happened to you? By this, we mean truly BIG: the sort of story that, if you told it at a party, would have everyone’s mouth hanging open in shock, would have people saying, “You have to write a book about this! You just have to!”
If such a story is part of your personal experience, perhaps you’ve considered writing an exposé. Also known as a tell-all, an exposé is “is a movie or piece of writing that reveals the truth about a situation or person, especially something involving shocking facts” (https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/expose).
Before you begin your exposé, here are a few things to consider:
- Personal satisfaction. It can be therapeutic to get a harrowing experience onto the printed page. Nothing can completely take away trauma, but seeing the story in written form can help with the healing process.
- Key players. Does the story involve anyone famous? If so, are you portraying that person positively or negatively? A story associated with a celebrity undoubtedly has the potential to attract many readers, but it’s important to consider the risk involved in exposing a celebrity, especially if they will be portrayed in a negative light.
- Audience. Again, this is easier if the story involves someone famous. Nonetheless, exposés about particular circumstances or locations—a story set at a Fortune 500 company, for example, or one about something that happened at an Ivy League university—can also be big sellers, even if the key players are not household names.
- Possible litigation. Whether your story involves celebrities or everyday folk, someone is bound to recognize the circumstances of the story—and possibly themselves in it. This is often true even if you use pseudonyms rather than real names. Depending on how the person(s) is portrayed, you’re opening yourself up to a potential lawsuit. For this reason, it’s highly recommended that you seek legal counsel before publishing an exposé.
- Levels of support. Hopefully, your friends and family will be supportive of the project. You might find support in surprising relationships. One tell-all author reported that an octogenarian relative became her biggest supporter!
In addition to the above, it’s important to recognize that your story, while interesting party conversation, might take on an entirely different (and often more challenging) quality when you have to relive every detail as you write the book. You might find the writing process extremely taxing. It can be difficult to power through.
In this situation, a professional ghostwriter can help. The ghostwriter will interview you, going over details and letting you take as much time as you need to discuss what happened. The ghostwriter will then organize what you said into a compelling, evocative narrative that unveils the story in a way that can be understood and appreciated by your audience.
Is it time to tell this story? If you’d like help, please contact us. We want to hear what you have to say, and we’re here to help you reveal your big story to your chosen audience.