Finding Your Story: A Six-Week Journey Towards the Words Only You Can Write
Using my experience of writing other people’s stories, I help people unearth the story inside them.
A memoir of pivotal moments or people. A non-fiction book based on your hard-won insights and experience. A novel that’s been in your head or heart for ages. Or, to write what matters to you in a blog or a series of articles.
Whatever it is, together we shape what you’re feeling into what you can write, so that the story you’ve carried inside you for too long becomes the story the world can read.
Because here's the thing. People don’t struggle to tell their story because they can’t write. They struggle because they don’t yet know what their story really is. They carry fragments, moments, memories, ideas, injustices, questions, half-formed beginnings. They feel the pull to write something, but not yet the clarity to begin.
This six-week course is designed for people who know there is a story in them, but need help finding and shaping it, deciding where to put it and finally starting it.
Drawing on my experience of ghost-writing, editing and story development, this course supports you to uncover the story only you can tell, and to begin writing it with confidence, purpose and momentum.
Over six deeply guided, practical and human sessions, you will:
Discover what your real story is (not the one you think you should write).
Clarify what it is and what form it should take.
Learn how professional writers find structure without killing creativity.
Begin writing with focus, discipline and emotional honesty.
Leave with the opening pages of your story and a clear path forward.
This course is about story and about giving yourself permission to write the one that matters.
You don’t need experience. You don’t need confidence. You just need the sense that something inside you is asking to be written.
Who it’s for?
People who want to write something, but don’t know how to get started. This course is for anyone who feels they’ve got something worth exploring in words.
What you’ll leave with
By the end of six weeks, you will have:
Absolute clarity on what you’re writing and why.
A defined story arc or conceptual structure.
A strong opening (or opening set of articles).
A personal writing practice that actually works for your life.
The confidence to keep going once the course ends.
Week-by-week structure
Each session will be 3 hours.
Week 1: Finding the Story Beneath the Story
Theme: What’s really asking to be written
Most people arrive with a half-formed starting point. This week gently develops that.
We’ll explore:
Why most stories don’t fail because of writing, but because of the wrong story focus.
The difference between subject, theme, and story.
Why your life experience already contains narrative shape.
Exercises include:
The ‘Life Moments Map’ (identifying charged moments).
Writing towards emotional heat rather than chronology.
The question: Why this story? Why now?
Outcome:
Clarity on the true story you’re being pulled towards, even if it surprises you.
Week 2: Choosing the Right Form
Theme: Letting the story decide its shape
This is where many writers get stuck.
We’ll explore:
Is it a novel, memoir, business changing book or a series of articles. Or something else?
Why the form you choose should serve the reader, not the ego.
Exercises include:
Rewriting the same moment in different forms.
Identifying voice, distance and perspective.
Deciding what you are protecting, and what you’re willing to reveal.
Outcome:
You’ll know what kind of story you are writing, and why.
Week 3: Structure Without Strangulation
Theme: Shape that supports freedom.
Structure doesn’t kill creativity: it protects it.
We’ll explore:
How professional writers think about shape.
Beginning, middle and end (without formula).
Narrative momentum vs episodic drift.
Exercises include:
Mapping your story in loose, human terms.
Finding turning points and emotional pivots.
Creating a structure you can actually write to.
Outcome:
A working story map that gives confidence rather than pressure.
Week 4: Voice, Honesty and Permission
Theme: Writing like yourself, not who you think you should be
This is where writing becomes recognisably yours.
We’ll explore:
Voice as courage, not style.
The difference between honesty and exposure.
Writing for truth rather than approval.
Exercises include:
Voice-unlocking prompts.
Writing past self-censorship.
Learning when to stop being ‘polite’ on the page.
Outcome:
Writing that feels alive, personal, and unmistakably yours.
Week 5: Beginning Properly
Theme: Openings that invite the reader in
Beginnings matter more than people realise.
We’ll explore:
What openings actually need to do.
Why most first chapters/articles try too hard.
How to create trust with a reader.
Exercises include:
Writing multiple openings.
Cutting without cruelty.
Finding the start that feels inevitable.
Outcome:
A strong, confident opening and momentum.
Week 6: Becoming Someone Who Keeps Writing
Theme: Moving beyond the course
This week is about sustainability, not endings.
We’ll explore:
How writers keep going amid busy lives.
Confidence dips, doubt cycles and how to survive them.
When to seek feedback, and when not to.
Exercises include:
Designing a personal writing rhythm.
Setting realistic next milestones.
Naming what this story gives you.
Outcome:
A clear writing roadmap, and the confidence to continue without permission.
Course Details
A six-week course for £350.
Garry Lace, your Story Guide
Garry is an entrepreneur, business leader, and the ghost-writer behind four powerful and published books spanning sport, mental health, leadership, and the extraordinary truth that every day is a gift. A passionate storyteller, Garry believes that everyone has a story, but more importantly, that every story truly matters. At the heart of Garry’s work is a belief that writing can unlock courage, clarity, and connection. His approach blends insight with emotional intelligence, making him an experienced and inspiring guide for anyone ready to find their story.
What People Say About Garry’s work
‘As a writer, Garry has an incredible knack of finding the right stories and the right words. He captured everything brilliantly and was a joy to work with.’
‘Bails and Boardrooms is a great read: compelling business insights and some very funny anecdotes. A must-read for anyone interested in the link between sport and business.’
'Such an easy and compelling book. I read ‘Breaking the Silence’ cover to cover in one sitting as I couldn’t put it down.’
‘Oh wow Garry, just wow.... I’ve just read the whole book and it is so powerful, impactful and emotional’
How to Book
Email garry@gmlwriter.com with a note confirming you would like to join the course. In that note, please include a one/two-line summary explaining why you want to be part of ‘Finding Your Story.’ You’ll then receive a note with all of the details you need to book and prepare for the course.