Dear Writers, Storytellers and Friends:

I am posting short personal HandPrints stories to be shared among members on this website.
Selected stories will be compiled for an anthology book series entitled HandPrints On My Heart®. Some stories will be illustrated and submitted to a national magazine for publication. In all cases you retain the copyrights to your story, and will be advised of your legal rights, any compensation, so that you fully understand the terms of every agreement.

Handprint stories celebrate relationships as the key element in all of our lives. They create, strengthen, and reinforce the bonds between people. A story can be a catalyst to create positive change in someone’s life. Whether we connect around the corner or across the globe our stories enrich each other’s lives and will make a difference.

If you are a writer or storyteller you may submit your true, personal short story about someone who has helped you to transform for the better. Since word of mouth is the best way to pass this message along, I am hoping you will help me to spread the word.

Please pass along my e-mail address handprints1@gmail.com to any of your associates whom you feel might be interested.

I envision this to be an anthology book series with many opportunities for writers to share their stories. You do not need to be a professional writer to submit your story. My intention is to continue to collect as many well-written, completely inspiring stories as possible.

What is a HandPrint On My Heart Story?

Think for a moment of someone who has left an indelible impression on your life; someone without whom you would not be who you are today. That person has left their hand prints on your heart.

Everyone has at least one story of a loved one or a stranger who has made a difference. We never know who will become our champion, mentor or hero: the music teacher who instills a love for the arts, the generous neighbor who teaches a valuable lesson, the caring grandparent who steps in during a time of need. While the facts of the stories might be different, the emotions are universal. The HandPrints On My Heart Book Series is a compilation of personal, real-life short stories written to acknowledge someone who has made a significant difference in the writer’s life; someone who has left hand prints on their heart.

Guidelines for your story submission.

Paint a picture with 500-1500 words. Recall when your story took place, your surroundings your age, where you were emotionally at that time in your life. Share with your reader how knowing that person has helped you to grow, change or transform your life for the better. What we want to take into our own hearts is an understanding of the gift that person brought to your life. Just let your words flow and let the feeling that writing them creates for you, flow with it. The message in what you have learned will come through in the process of your telling your story.

After you recognize the value of their handprints in your life, think about how you may have already made a difference in someone else’s life as a result or how you might make a difference in the future.

Essential Elements of a HandPrint story.

Stories must be well written, and with resolve. Readers must feel inspired and uplifted after reading our stories, in a way that might help them to take action in their own lives. Your gift to the reader is the simple, clear message they can take from your story and place into their heart. Just one or two powerful sentences become the golden nugget for inspiration.

Helpful Tips for Writing Your story.

• Focus on the gift and the lesson you garnered from this life-altering time in your life. For ex. were you given the strength to overcome something you were not capable of before the handprint on your heart?
• Think about the role this person played and how you and your life were transformed for the better because of their influence.
• Make it very clear that your life is different now, in this specific way, because of your connection with this person.
• Tell us the difference between who you were, who you are today and who you are becoming as a result.
• What have you been able to do for someone else as a result of the handprint left on your heart?

Very simply, anyone reading your story must feel better afterwards. We want to feel your experience, your emotions and most important, your sense of gratitude and hopefulness because it uplifts us to feel those positive emotions along with you.