From the coeditor of the essay anthology The Good Immigrant: 26 Writers Reflect on America (Little, Brown, 2019) comes this practical and inclusive guide to storytelling for “those of you who want to write, know you have a story to tell, know you have something important to say, and don’t know how to start, how to go on, and what to do when you’re done.” Throughout the book, Shukla includes relatable anecdotes from his own writing career to encourage writers to tell their own stories as well as helpful writing exercises and prompts. Organized into six chapters, many are titled after central craft questions, including “How Do I Find My Voice?” and “How Do I Plan a Story?” Shukla concludes the book with an afterward of “Ten Bad Writing Tips Debunked” and a list of creative writing books for future references. Your Story Matters reiterates this mantra as Shukla offers his knowledge and companionship with each lesson. “Writing is hard. And that’s okay. Because I’m going to be with you the whole way,” writes Shukla. “This isn’t about telling you about structure and sending you off into the wilderness. This is about showing you how structure can complement the instincts you already have.”
