Start with what you want to say
You do not need a dramatic beginning, a perfect ending, or a lesson for someone else. A check-in, a small moment, a question, a joyful memory, or a hard truth can be enough. You do not have to disclose your HIV status—or any detail you want to keep private—to be heard.
Try this first: What is one thing you want a reader to understand, feel, or remember? Write that in a sentence for yourself. You can keep it private; it is simply a compass for what comes next.
Write in the words that sound like you. You can pause, skip a detail, change your mind, or decide not to post. These prompts are invitations, not assignments.
Choose a size that fits today
Voices Rising offers a few ways to take part. The limits below match the form as it is currently set up; the live form is the final guide if anything changes.
Check-in
One or two sentences, up to 280 characters. A feeling, a small win, a tough day, or a moment you want to mark.
Micro-blog
A little more room: up to 150 words or 900 characters for a reflection, moment, question, or small win.
Story
Tell one moment or a wider personal journey, up to 2,000 words. Many stories are around 300–800 words, but there is no minimum; share the length that feels right.
Memorial
A tribute of up to 250 words or 2,500 characters. The form asks for the person’s name; the years are optional.
A link post is another option if you want to share a useful resource with a short note about why it matters.
Prompts to help you begin
Choose one, change the wording, or use it only as a first step. You do not have to answer every part. On the Voices Rising form, choose a prompt to add editable text to your draft, or choose “Other” to move straight to the writing box without adding text.
Check-in
Start with a feeling, a small support, or a moment from today.
Today, I’m feeling ___.
One small thing that helped me today was ___.
Something I could use today is ___.
A moment I want to remember today is ___.
One small thing I’m looking forward to is ___.
Micro-blog
Share one reflection, question, moment, or small win in up to 150 words or 900 characters.
A small moment from this week that stayed with me was ___, because ___.
One thing I wish more people understood about HIV is ___.
Something I’m still figuring out is ___, and one thing helping me is ___.
One thing I want to celebrate or acknowledge today is ___, even if it seems small.
A question I’ve been thinking about lately is ___.
Story
These prompts adapt themes from the earlier Story Hub. Use only what feels right; there is no minimum length. Many stories are around 300–800 words.
If you want to share about diagnosis or another turning point, something I wish I’d known then is ___.
If U=U is part of my story, one way the message has mattered to me is ___.
A moment that helped me feel less alone was ___.
A challenge I faced was ___; what helped me through it, if anything, was ___.
One thing I wish people understood about HIV is ___, because ___.
If I could send one kind thought to someone newly diagnosed, I’d say ___.
I hope the next generation of people living with HIV knows ___.
If I want to share, HIV has shaped how I think about love, trust, or relationships by ___.
One part of my story I’m ready to tell is ___.
Memorial
Keep the tribute centered on what you want remembered.
One thing I want people to remember about ___ is ___.
When I think of ___, I remember ___.
An ordinary moment with ___ that I still carry is ___.
The way ___ made people feel was ___.
A phrase, tradition, or small habit of ___ that stays with me is ___.
If you want a longer story, keep it simple
A few clear moments can hold a lot. You might use this loose shape:
- Set the scene. Where were you, what was happening, and what detail do you still remember?
- Stay with one turning point. What felt difficult, surprising, funny, ordinary, or meaningful? What support—or question—was present?
- Choose what comes next. What would you like a reader to take away? You can leave the ending open; your life does not have to resolve into a lesson.
Specific details can make a scene vivid, but you do not have to include medical records, treatment details, names, dates, or anything that feels too exposing. You decide what the story needs.
Your privacy and control matter
Voices Rising is a public wall. A moderator reviews each submission before it appears, and review can take up to 72 hours. Approved posts can be read publicly and may be found through search engines. The form lets you leave the name field blank to appear as Anonymous; the location field is optional.
For longer stories, the form explains that an approved story is public and can be copied or screenshotted beyond the site. The community guidelines say you can ask for a post to be removed by emailing info@riseuptohiv.com; copies made by other people or platforms may remain outside the site’s control. Please read the current guidelines and consent choices before submitting.
- Share only your own HIV status or story. Ask permission before including names or identifying details about someone else, or leave those details out.
- Consider whether a place, workplace, date, photo, or combination of details could identify you or another person.
- You can use Anonymous and leave location blank. You never owe the internet a disclosure.
- If writing brings up more than you want to hold right now, take a break and reach out to someone you trust.
Voices Rising is for people 18 and older. Submission rules and the on-screen consent language apply; this guide does not replace them or provide legal advice.
A short pause before you share
- Does this say what I want it to say—in my own voice?
- Am I comfortable with this being public if it is approved?
- Have I protected other people’s privacy and considered identifying details?
- Would I like to save this and reread it tomorrow before deciding?
- Do I want my name, Anonymous, or no location detail?
There is no deadline. You can return when the words feel right, or decide not to publish. Read the Community Guidelines, then choose a Voices Rising format when you are ready.
Further reading
This is an original RiseUpToHIV guide. These resources informed its emphasis on choice, clear consent, safety, and open-ended prompts; they are offered for additional perspectives.
- NASTAD, The Ethical Storytelling Roadmap — a community-co-designed framework for HIV, hepatitis C, and drug user health storytelling.
- StoryCorps, Tips for a Great Conversation — open-ended questions can help a storyteller guide what matters; prompts work best as a guide, not a script.
- RAINN, Survivor Storytelling 101 — a survivor-centered resource on choosing whether and how to share; it is not HIV-specific.
- Positive Effect, Share Your Story — an HIV community storytelling submission page with reflection prompts.