finding your genre
Are you a reader? One of those avid book lovers who can’t devour enough books. My husband, Bryce, is like that. He finishes books like most people go through a pint of ice cream. Not only does he read often but fast.
I do not. I love to read, but it takes some effort. For years, I struggled to find the right genre - I kept trying historical fiction and novels. Picking up a book, reading a chapter, and never returning. Turns out, fiction reading isn’t usually my thing. When I read, I fully engage with biblical study books that dig deep into scripture, books that further my business and personal goals, and occasionally read an espionage book with lots of action.
My dear friend Emily from Alabama loves to read but her genre is often quite different from mine. Have you ever tried to oppose a sweet southern lady with strong opinions? It is nearly impossible. My friend tried to get me to read a book about Napoleon Bonaparte’s wife. No Way! By this time I had long figured out that I was not interested in historical fiction.
Bryce didn’t fare as well. Seems that Southern charm did him in.
Let me create a picture for you. Boldly bearded, Red Wing wearing, Stetson brandishing, 200 pound country boy with a twist of rock-n-roll sitting in his easy chair reading a dainty, slightly risque novel, The Many Lives And Secret Sorrows Of Josephine B from my sweet Southern friend. A bit embarrassed that he enjoyed the read, Bryce devoured that book in no time. And guess what? It was the first one in a series of three. You guessed it! My friend gave him the rest of the books and he finished them all!
Josephine B wasn’t Bryce’s genre of choice, but he was drawn into the art of good storytelling. We all are.
But we get in trouble with genre. How many times do we sit down with a family member to watch a movie or a tv show only to waste several minutes trying to find common ground. It’s often hard. We have different personalities and tastes. I love a good caper or heist and Bryce will often choose drama or documentary.
But we have to be willing to make choices that allow others, and us, to benefit. It’s that give and take in life that nourishes our relationships and allows us to appreciate others for who they are.
Those same choices affect how we rescue our stories from being lost. We might love long engaging novels, period pieces, or documentaries. But I guarantee most of our children and grandchildren don’t agree with us. They are unengaged and inattentive within a few minutes. And that often makes it hard for us to share our stories with them outside of the family dinner table.
But saving our legacy by rescuing our stories doesn’t have to be long and boring. And it certainly doesn’t need to wait until the end of our lives. We have the ability to vibrantly capture our stories and catch the attention of our young family members by giving them beautiful, bright, artful stories that excite and engage them.
Our kids love meaningful short stories filled with important real life lessons and wisdom - the kind of stories that can easily be watched over and over again and shared with others. And let’s be honest, we all appreciate those same stories especially when they are about our own family experience.
That’s the reason we, Bryce and Jody Flurie, chose to help you rescue your family stories from being lost. We want your families to know their stories, experience their wisdom, and have access to them any time. It makes them easy to retell, watch and share even with the young kids in our families.
We would love to give you a free consultation, talk about your stories, and help put a plan in place to rescue your story to share with the next generation.
We love helping people tell their stories and would love to help you tell yours!
Searching for wisdom and asking for grace,
Jody