Hey 👋 - Dave here.

Happy Saturday morning.

Welcome to the Saturday Storyteller (TSS).

Read time: 2 minutes

Write on. ✍️

My best friend no-showed my wedding.

To be fair he was only my best friend during my teenage years, but he still missed my wedding. 

Here’s what happened…

I invited him to my wedding. 

He RSVPed with a Plus-One. 

He no-showed.

A few years later I ran into him and since I’m a curious cat, I asked, “Why didn’t you come to the wedding?”

He explained that he received the invitation, RSVP’ed, but never got a final confirmation.

Yes, I failed to RSVP to his returned RSVP.

Put A Ring On It

Despite receiving an invitation, my old school friend still wanted more reassurance to attend the wedding.

Forget my friend’s ignorance about wedding etiquette, remember that he wanted a triple stamp. 

It makes me think of when my son was nine years old and he whispered, “Daddy, is it okay if I just call you, ‘Dad’ instead of ‘Daddy?’”

I met his eyes, grinned, and said, “Of course, my boy. I love you.”

“Really?” he said.

I nodded and his look of uncertainty disappeared, replaced by a wide smile. 

That moment touched my soul as I saw my boy mature that day. But it also made me contemplate the deeper meaning behind the words we shared.

Green Light District

We all seek approval.

Perhaps it's the authorization to partake in something extraordinary, the license to carry out something significant, or the freedom to express ourselves in our own distinctive manner...

But there's no need for authorization to become the writer you were destined to be.

You don't require someone else's explicit written consent to spread your words to the world.

When I began blogging in 2015, I submitted articles to several well-known websites, hoping they would publish my work. 

Except they all rejected me. 

Maybe my writing wasn't a good fit for their brand.

However, each time I was turned down, I still published my pieces on my own blog.

Because at the end of the day, I don't need someone else to validate my writing. 

And neither do you.

With Your Kind Permission

You're the only one standing between your story and the page.

You're the only one connecting your pages with the public.

An unfinished piece will never become a bestseller or a blockbuster. That's why I urge you to stop seeking approval and let your unique voice shine between the lines.

I'll never forget when, one time, I got stuck during a writing session. I couldn’t spit out a paragraph to save my own life, totally paralyzed at the keyboard, unsure of how to spin pretty prose onto the screen.

I couldn’t help but think, “Wow, people are going to think this is the worst story ever written! It’s a lock, the world will soon know I’m a total fraud!”

However, I quickly jotted down this sentence onto a notepad at my standing desk,

Of course, you hold the power to unleash the potential of your writing. 

So you better dig deep within yourself, break free from self-imposed limitations, and keep writing the story that you were destined to complete.

Otherwise, you might no-show your own story.

That’s it for this Saturday.

See ya next week!

— Dave