When are stories ready to share? Discover the perfect Goldilocks moment

You can sometimes have a story that is too raw to share. Raw stories can trigger you or your audience. So how do you know when a story is ripe (ready to share) or raw (not ready to be shared)?

One end of the spectrum is the non-story, a run-of-the-mill event, a pointless story that will put your audience to sleep.

In the middle is a story that is ripe to share. A ripe story connects and engages your audience and lands a point.

At the other end of the spectrum is a story that is too raw and should not be shared. It can shock or disturb your audience.

But some raw stories can be shared after the wounds have healed and you have processed the wisdom. You are then sharing the story not from a wound but from a scar.

Why would you bother going to your scars at all? You can find your richest stories there.

My father passed away suddenly in 2006. It was a deeply sad time for my family. It wasn’t until the Moth story slam in 2018 that I shared a story with him in it, as it fitted The Moth’s theme that evening. It took me that long. There is no right answer – you make that call. It’s personal and different for everyone.

Some stories need breathing space before they are ready to be shared. Just like time allows green fruit to ripen. Some of our stories need time to turn from raw to ripe.

And the most important question to answer before sharing any story always is does this story serve my audience?