The Personal is the Universal

A perennial excuse, er, reason for abandoning a writing project is that no one will be interested in reading it.

I mean, who really cares about your hangnail?

Maybe you’re right. 

But look.  Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Connie Schultz wrote about cutting her hair – or rather not cutting it – in her first contribution of her new agreement with Parade magazine.

Just let that settle in for a moment:  Pulitzer Prize winner writes about her haircut. 

And because she talked about middle-aged women getting haircuts that make them look like they’re wearing football helmets, I took offense.  I’d just cut my hair into a skull-hugging protective device, you see. 

Her personal experience hit home with me.

So I took the topic and ran with it.  Put my own spin on it.  Gave it a fresh (I hope) perspective on getting older and wanting to look good.  (You can read that column, “Helmet Head at the Bates Motel,” elsewhere in this volume of Epiphany.)

The take away is that, while any individual’s experience of aging will be unique and personal, almost everyone can relate to the phenomenon.  Hearing how you’re dealing with it can be energizing and affirming…if it’s well written.

Whether we cling to that last greying strand of our youth or shave it off without sentiment, we all have hair.  We all can appreciate the metaphor.

Morgan Freeman frequently opens episodes of “Through the Wormhole” with a story of his childhood encounters with the mysteries of nature.

The President cites a single citizen by name and tells her individual story to illustrate his point about healthcare for all citizens.

The personal is the universal.

And so, Dream Writer – Don’t discount your experiences. 

Whenever you tell the truth about making your way through the world, or making your way through the parking lot, you are telling the truth for lots of us. 

If it’s frustrating, funny, poignant or pissy, the truth resonates with humanity.


You should write it because you’re the one who can write.