The best storytellers always define a clear purpose prior to crafting their story.
What is the story trying to achieve? What does success look like with this story?
Commit to answering these key questions before doing anything else.
Storytelling is a superpower.
A key to unlocking growth in your writing, startups, marketing, business, or career.
THREAD: 10+ principles of effective storytelling (that you can start using today):
The best storytellers always define a clear purpose prior to crafting their story.
What is the story trying to achieve? What does success look like with this story?
Commit to answering these key questions before doing anything else.
Every great story begins with a well-defined audience.
Who is the audience? What do they consciously (or subconsciously) want from the story?
Be deliberate with this exercise.
Be honest with yourself. The audience may look different than you expect.
“People have forgotten how to tell a story. Stories don’t have a middle or an end any more. They usually have a beginning that never stops beginning.” – Steven Spielberg
Stories need structure.
Clear narrative arcs (like Pixar’s “hero’s journey”) work well.
Playwright Kenn Adams created a neat framework - “the story spine” - for establishing structure:
Once upon a time there was [blank]. Every day, [blank]. One day [blank]. Because of that, [blank]. Until finally [bank].
Fill it in and watch your story take shape.
Emotion is what makes great stories stick with you.
Think about your favorite stories. How did they make you feel?
It’s a safe bet that they elicited a strong emotional response.
Learn from this. Weave emotion into the foundational fabric of every story.
Every great story is infused with novelty.
Novelty comes in many different forms:
Fresh, new perspectives. Surprising insights. Shock-and-awe moments. Unexpected twists.
The goal is to make your audience say: “Oh, wow!”
If you’re falling short, dig deeper.
Storytelling expert @nancyduarte coined the “what is vs. what could be” framework.
First, describe the reality (“what is”).
Next, describe the potential future (“what could be”).
This framework forces you to create contrasts to craft a captivating narrative.
Disney is the greatest storytelling empire of all time.
Walt Disney was famous for his focus on suspending reality for his audiences - allowing them to experience his new reality while still being in their reality.
Take a lesson from the best. Suspend reality.
“Make it simple, but significant.” - Don Draper
A good story may be complex, but a great story is always simple.
Try to elevator pitch the story to an uninformed party. Are they able to understand it? If not, you still have work to do.
When in doubt, simplify!
Shared community is an insanely powerful force.
The best stories (and the best storytellers) foster community - they elicit a sense of shared purpose, shared membership in a group, or shared experience.
Stories that build communities last forever.
Stories are meant to be shared.
The story “K-factor” - a viral marketing metric for growth - should be high.
This requires high shareability.
To enhance it: Keep it simple and make it easy to “take down” into shorter, alternative versions.
Most great writers and storytellers agree on one thing: starting is the hardest part.
There is nothing more daunting than a blank page.
So start fast - get a draft down (and don’t worry about how bad it is).
Then slow down - write & rewrite as necessary.
If you start using them, I guarantee you’ll unlock growth across the diverse realms of your life.
Enjoy this post? Follow me @SahilBloom for more writing on writing, business, and mental models.
The piece will be released in the coming days.
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The emergence of many new hypocrisies typically heralds an emerging new cultural synthesis.
Are you disturbed that you agree with one of those viewpoints? Or perhaps that other people you respect do?
1/x
Let me offer a framework for thinking about things like this, something called an “Omega Event.”
It was first described to me by Erik Martin, one of Reddit's first community managers:
In governance, Omega Events exist due to the fact that no system of beliefs, no worldview, no set of rules, can account for everything that will ever happen.
Eventually someone (or some group) will do something that lies outside the scope of all existing rules, and you will have to make decisions again from first principles.
Sometimes the Omega Event emerges from the confluence of many unrelated factors. When it does, it is wholly different from anything you’ve encountered.
Are you disturbed that you agree with one of those viewpoints? Or perhaps that other people you respect do?
1/x
\u2014 HYPOCRISY \u2014
— emily (@emnode) January 9, 2021
\U0001f4cdFree market conservatives outraged that a private social media company can decide who has access to its service.
\U0001f4cdSo called liberals overjoyed at the prospect of powerful corporations taking control of the content and information we're allowed to see.
Let me offer a framework for thinking about things like this, something called an “Omega Event.”
It was first described to me by Erik Martin, one of Reddit's first community managers:
In governance, Omega Events exist due to the fact that no system of beliefs, no worldview, no set of rules, can account for everything that will ever happen.
Eventually someone (or some group) will do something that lies outside the scope of all existing rules, and you will have to make decisions again from first principles.
Sometimes the Omega Event emerges from the confluence of many unrelated factors. When it does, it is wholly different from anything you’ve encountered.
20 Most Important Lesson of 2020
// A THREAD //
It was a fast and weird year.
The year of change.
My life changed a lot and I learned even more.
Here are the 20 most important lessons - which will shape the upcoming decade for me.
1. Systems Are Better Than Goals
In the past, I failed many of my goals.
This year I've realized that it could be caused by the fact that they were goals, not systems.
Thanks, @ScottAdamsSays for helping me realize this.
Short article on the topic: https://t.co/lyBqGBR0yM
2. Use Notion More
@NotionHQ is definitely the most useful tool I've discovered this year.
I use it for:
- Twitter
- Freelance CRM
- Content Creation
- Website project management
And for personal use, it's completely free.
3. Email Is Immortal
This year we saw on social sites:
- Shadow bans
- Normal bans
- Decreasing reach (e.g. during the presidential election)
That's why I believe building an independent audience e.g. email list is mandatory.
P.S. https://t.co/iuhQJIf80K
// A THREAD //
It was a fast and weird year.
The year of change.
My life changed a lot and I learned even more.
Here are the 20 most important lessons - which will shape the upcoming decade for me.
1. Systems Are Better Than Goals
In the past, I failed many of my goals.
This year I've realized that it could be caused by the fact that they were goals, not systems.
Thanks, @ScottAdamsSays for helping me realize this.
Short article on the topic: https://t.co/lyBqGBR0yM
2. Use Notion More
@NotionHQ is definitely the most useful tool I've discovered this year.
I use it for:
- Freelance CRM
- Content Creation
- Website project management
And for personal use, it's completely free.
3. Email Is Immortal
This year we saw on social sites:
- Shadow bans
- Normal bans
- Decreasing reach (e.g. during the presidential election)
That's why I believe building an independent audience e.g. email list is mandatory.
P.S. https://t.co/iuhQJIf80K
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Fake chats claiming to be from the Irish African community are being disseminated by the far right in order to suggest that violence is imminent from #BLM supporters. This is straight out of the QAnon and Proud Boys playbook. Spread the word. Protest safely. #georgenkencho
There is co-ordination across the far right in Ireland now to stir both left and right in the hopes of creating a race war. Think critically! Fascists see the tragic killing of #georgenkencho, the grief of his community and pending investigation as a flashpoint for action.
Across Telegram, Twitter and Facebook disinformation is being peddled on the back of these tragic events. From false photographs to the tactics ofwhite supremacy, the far right is clumsily trying to drive hate against minority groups and figureheads.
Declan Ganley’s Burkean group and the incel wing of National Party (Gearóid Murphy, Mick O’Keeffe & Co.) as well as all the usuals are concerted in their efforts to demonstrate their white supremacist cred. The quiet parts are today being said out loud.
The best thing you can do is challenge disinformation and report posts where engagement isn’t appropriate. Many of these are blatantly racist posts designed to drive recruitment to NP and other Nationalist groups. By all means protest but stay safe.
There is co-ordination across the far right in Ireland now to stir both left and right in the hopes of creating a race war. Think critically! Fascists see the tragic killing of #georgenkencho, the grief of his community and pending investigation as a flashpoint for action.
Across Telegram, Twitter and Facebook disinformation is being peddled on the back of these tragic events. From false photographs to the tactics ofwhite supremacy, the far right is clumsily trying to drive hate against minority groups and figureheads.
Be aware, the images the #farright are sharing in the hopes of starting a race war, are not of the SPAR employee that was punched. They\u2019re older photos of a Everton fan. Be aware of the information you\u2019re sharing and that it may be false. Always #factcheck #GeorgeNkencho pic.twitter.com/4c9w4CMk5h
— antifa.drone (@antifa_drone) December 31, 2020
Declan Ganley’s Burkean group and the incel wing of National Party (Gearóid Murphy, Mick O’Keeffe & Co.) as well as all the usuals are concerted in their efforts to demonstrate their white supremacist cred. The quiet parts are today being said out loud.
There is a concerted effort in far-right Telegram groups to try and incite violence on street by targetting people for racist online abuse following the killing of George Nkencho
— Mark Malone (@soundmigration) January 1, 2021
This follows on and is part of a misinformation campaign to polarise communities at this time.
The best thing you can do is challenge disinformation and report posts where engagement isn’t appropriate. Many of these are blatantly racist posts designed to drive recruitment to NP and other Nationalist groups. By all means protest but stay safe.