Watchful Dragons - Why and How to Tell a Story

up:: Become a Modern Master
tags:: Storytelling

Why tell stories? Dragons.

Telling stories bypasses the defense mechanisms of the listener.

It’s more memorable and persuasive, without coming off as salesy. Even people who don’t buy, can appreciate the story.

Practice is the number one thing to do.

Keep a swipe file of stories. Collect stories you know, something you can turn into a story. Specifically: funny, unexpected, that shows change or growth. Make a huge list with headings of your stories.

• Write a title
• Write a one-sentence summary
• Expand when needed and you need to work it out somewhere

Consume good stories in every medium.

• Short blogs and stories
• Stand-up comedians
  Pay attention to the mechanics they use.

Understand the basic structure of what you want to tell.

• Beginning: something happens
• Middle: hero reacts
• End: resolution

You need to build up tension right up until the end.
One of the ways to do that is continuously swapping between order and chaos.

Story SPECs

Make all these things real:

• Stakes (why should I care about this story?)
• People (your characters have to be believable)
• Experiences (someone listening should experience the story exactly as you felt it; go right to the body, not the head)
• Change (all stories are fundamentally about change)

Practice, practice, practice.