What do you wish someone had told you?

You've already walked a stretch of road somebody else is just starting.

Whatever it cost you to learn is still worth something to them. That's the whole idea here. You pour in what you paid for, and the next person draws from it.

The water only gets deeper when somebody adds to it.

Before you start

Use any first name you like. A made-up one is fine and common. We publish a first name and a last initial, never a full last name, and you can choose to have your story published with no name at all. Your email is required and is never published or shared. We use it to reach you before anything of yours goes up. Your name can be invented. Your email can't.

Nothing appears in the archive until it's been read and approved. That usually takes a few days.

We're looking for a life lesson you had to learn by living it. Something nobody told you beforehand, that you would want to pass on to whoever comes next.

It does not have to be the hardest thing that ever happened to you. It might be. It might just as easily be the best thing, or something small that turned out to matter far more than it looked at the time. What makes a lesson worth reading is that you learned it firsthand and the person coming behind you would be better off knowing it.

Specific beats general. A story beats a lecture.

First name *

A real one or an invented one. Both are fine. If you'd rather not be named publicly, choose "without my name" below.

Last initial *

One or two letters. We never publish a full last name.

City (optional: shown with your story if you give it)State *

How should we credit you? *

Either way, we still need your name and email on file. This is only about what appears publicly.

Credit me: your first name, last initial, city and state, e.g. "Marcus T., Savannah, GA"Don't use my name: your city and state still appear, e.g. "Savannah, GA"

Email *

Required. Never published, never shared. We'll email you before anything of yours is published. If we can't reach you, we don't use your story. Your name can be invented. Your email can't.

Age range (optional)Story / Lesson Topic *Which book in the series does this belong to? *

Anything else it touches? (optional)

Choose up to two.

Your Story / Lesson *

(If it's easier on your phone, feel free to dictate your story or wisdom. We will review it, and if we edit anything for grammar or context we will send it back for your approval)

Aim for 50 to 500 words. A few sentences that land beat three pages that wander. 0 / 3000

Read the full Submission Terms and Release

I consent to have my story published on the What Life Taught Us website. You'll credit me by first name and last initial only, plus my city and state if I gave them. My full last name is never published.

I understand my story may be edited. It may be condensed, tightened, or rephrased for clarity and length. The meaning and the lesson won't be changed.

I understand my story may be edited and published by What Life Taught Us: on the website, and in printed books in the series. Once it's published, online or in print, that can't be reversed. I can ask you to stop using it going forward, but I give up the right to reclaim what's already published.

I'm 18 or older. This is my own true experience, not someone else's. I haven't named or identified anyone else in a way that could harm them.

Please choose a book category, how to credit you, and accept all four items above to submit.

If you're struggling right now, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. It's free and available 24 hours a day. If there's immediate danger, call 911.

What do you wish someone had told you?

Before you start

Read the full terms

Read the full terms

Read the full terms

Read the full terms