Addicts are a dramatic breed, and we may be overly fond of describing what’s happening in our lives and our program as “once-in-a-lifetime” or “never-seen-before.” But…if you are reading this, you really do have the chance to participate in making NA history. You can help contribute to the Basic Text.

How can that be? Well, as some of you may know, the last World Service Conference approved a motion to replace some or all of the personal stories in our Basic Text, and we need members of the fellowship to put pen to paper and send us their writing.

The motion also includes adding a new preface to the text and adding a brief introduction to the personal stories section. No changes will be made to Chapters One through Ten or to the existing preface and introduction. You can read more about the news up to now by clicking here, or in the January 2005 issue of The NA Way Magazine.

The Basic Text was first published more than twenty years ago, and since that time, we have grown from fewer than 3,000 meetings, mostly in the US, to more than 30,000 in well over 100 countries. Our fellowship today illustrates what we’ve always known— anyone can be an addict, “regardless of . . . ,” and any addict can find recovery in NA. But how do we put together a collection of experience that paints that picture? We believe two things are key: We need to think creatively, and…

                                                WE NEED YOUR HELP.
 

This is a groundbreaking project. In fact, we suspect the phrase “personal stories” may not even fully describe what we are trying to capture. The word “personal” makes it sound like these pieces belong to particular people rather than to NA as a whole. The Basic Text is NA literature; it belongs to us all. A member who shares experience in the book, in effect, gives that experience to the fellowship. The word “story” also may not be the right word. When most of us hear “story,” we think of the traditional: how it was, what happened, how it is now. Yes, we are looking for experience that fits this frame, but we also want to branch out and have a broader range of formats, sharing styles, and individual voices (we talk more about this below).

Stay tuned for more on the subject of what to call this part of the Basic Text. If you have ideas, let us know. Send your input to worldboard@na.org.

A new collection of shared experience is an opportunity to reflect more fully the diversity of our fellowship today—who we are, the way we feel, and the way we live. We hope for a book that better showcases the international nature of our fellowship, our wide-ranging demographics, and our breadth of experience in recovery. We know NA can work for anyone—we want a collection of experience that illustrates all of those “anyones” getting clean, staying clean, and living clean.

We are in more than a hundred countries—in cities and towns. Some of us are isolated in rural areas or institutions, while others struggle to shape their own lives and recovery in communities that are very close-knit. Some of us got clean when we were still “kids,” others were senior citizens. We are every ethnicity, sexual identity, and demographic imaginable. Help us to put together a collection of writing from our rich fellowship. Tell us about you in all of your unique beauty.

And we’re not just looking for writing from diverse kinds of members; we’re also looking for members to share their diverse experiences. Maybe you struggled to develop a relationship with a Higher Power when you were new, and you want to focus on that. Or maybe you had a breakthrough at nine years clean that you can share about. Perhaps you confronted a long-buried demon at a point in your recovery where you thought “I can’t believe I am struggling with this when I have xx years clean.” Help the person who will confront those demons and have those breakthroughs after you by writing it down and sending it in. Maybe you are an atheist, a single parent, a celebrity, a veteran. . . . Talk about it!

You don’t have to write about everything that’s happened to you from birth until now—how could you? Maybe you have something to say about coping with illness in recovery . . . what it’s like to start NA in your community . . . going back to school. . . . Perhaps you relapsed for five years and finally “got it.” Or perhaps you were able to stay clean the moment you joined NA but you confronted your disease in other ways. Share your experience and tell us what happened and how NA’s spiritual principles got you through.

Regardless of our circumstances, we seem to have this in common: all of us felt different in some ways before we found a home in NA. What kind of shared experience would have helped you when you walked through the doors of your first meeting? Tell us now. Remember, “diversity” means all of us—from the “margins” to the “mass.” Send us your experience! Don’t second guess yourself.

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Writers’ Tips

We have some important things to share with you before you embark on this journey. Following are some things to keep in mind while you write and some guidelines for submission.

Some Essentials for Submission

I - We will not accept anonymous submissions. You must be anonymous within the piece you write, but you can’t be anonymous with us for legal reasons.

II - We request that members’ names not be included on the submissions themselves, only on the cover letter and/or copyright release form.

III - Please include a signed copyright release form and your full name, address, and phone number—we may need to talk to you about revisions and work with you.

IV - Also include your clean date. But don’t worry—there are no minimum requirements; we are accepting submissions from any clean member of NA.

V - Submissions in any language are welcomed.

VI - If you can send us an electronic document in MS Word, that is preferable. If you mail your submission via post, please use black ink on white paper. Thanks!

VII - No submission is too short, but as a rough guideline, aim for a piece of fewer than 2,700 words (seven pages in our current Basic Text).

What Happens to Your Piece after It’s Submitted?

I - Once you send us your writing, you won’t get it back. Be sure to keep a copy for yourself.

II - As we mentioned earlier, the Basic Text is NA literature that belongs to all of us. A member who shares experience in the book, in effect, gives that experience to the fellowship. If your submission is selected to be included in the Basic Text, it will be edited and possibly retitled. We want to be as respectful as possible in that process, to preserve the voice and experience in the piece, but you should be clear: If you send in a piece, it will be subject to editing.

Some Guidelines for Writing

We hope that these editorial guidelines don’t just sound like a list of “musts” or “can’ts.” It may help to think simply about how we typically write and share and try to put your thoughts down on paper in that spirit.

I - We want to hear about your recovery—how do you practice the principles in your life?

II - We are looking for submissions from members across the spectrum of religious and spiritual beliefs, including atheist and agnostic members. But don’t forget that NA is a spiritual, not religious, program. Feel free to share about the importance of your beliefs, but try to steer clear of specific religious references or terminology.

III - Of course we will get more material than we use. But don’t let that stop you. Your input may give us ideas about kinds of experience that need to be reflected or ways of sharing that experience that may show up in the final draft even if your submission doesn’t.

IV - Above all, please don’t let these guidelines intimidate you. You don’t have to write like a pro. All of the material we use will be edited.

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Be Creative!

Often all it takes to turn a good piece of writing into a great one is some revision. The difference between sharing your experience on paper and sharing it in a meeting is that on paper you do get a second chance to say it right. Here are some ideas to help you tell it the best way you can.

I - Try saying what you’re saying in different ways. For instance, you could write,

• I really wanted to use, or
• I was mad as a cut snake and in my head was this voice saying over and over “bottle of gin . . . bottle of gin . . . bottle of gin,” or
• When I drove past the corner, I was gripping the steering wheel so hard, I left nail marks in the vinyl,
  
  Sometimes it’s not what you say, but how you say it that gets the message
  across.

II - Try playing with the order of your writing: What happens if you start in the middle? What happens if you tell “the end” first? And so on.

III - Put us in your shoes. Don’t just tell us how you felt; describe the things that made you feel that way. Paint us a picture. For instance, you could write:

• I was grieving, or
• All of the colors were gone, and it seemed impossible to get out of my pajamas, go to a meeting, or even make toast.

You could write:

• I had a hard time identifying, or
• Everyone in the meeting was my parents’ age and they were all talking
  about mortgages.

IV - Write in the language you use, not in the voice you imagine an “author” should have. You’re writing about what you’ve been through. Make it as important for your reader as it was for you. Make it stand out. Make it live.

Working Together

Some members find it helpful to work in groups. Here are some things you might want to try. Other workshop ideas will be available upon request.

• Have a sharing session. Topics could include something like:

When did you first really “get it”—understand the message of NA?
When did someone sharing their experience with you really make a difference for you?

Talk about what during the sharing session grabbed your attention and why. Think about how you can use those techniques in your writing.

• You could pair off or help each other get started in a small group. Try interviewing each other to find out what someone else finds most interesting in your personal history. Or share with each other to find the heart of your experience—the things you most want to highlight or focus on.
• You can take turns writing for each other. One of you can talk and another can take notes.
• Each of you can write for a while and then you can work together to make your pieces shine.

And remember: “There is no model of the recovering addict.” Be yourself, write as yourself, and share as yourself. Don’t be afraid to color outside the lines!

Work in Progress Submission Form and Copyright Transfer

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