Story Crafting Basics For Stories Meant To Be Told
Entertain First. And Last. And Everywhere in Between.
Stories must engage before they can do anything else. You don’t have the luxury of
choosing between an entertaining story and a story that has a powerful message. Every
story must be entertaining even if it means enhancing the truth. When I tell storytellers to
embellish the story they’ll say, "But that’s not the way it really happened.” Too bad if the
way it really happened is going to put your audience to sleep. Your first priority is to
make it interesting, not to stick to the facts.
Know Your Story’s Purpose
Every story serves a purpose even if it’s simply to get your audience to laugh.
Know the purpose of your story. Know the message. Know why you’re telling it and what
you hope to accomplish by telling that story. Know what will make that story entertaining
and powerful.
Tell Your Story in One Sentence
No, I’m not saying that your story must be one really long sentence. But before you
write it, I want you to be able to tell it in one sentence. You don’t have to include the
entire plot, but you do need to include the moral of the story. For example: This is a story
of how a girl learns that being different can sometimes be good. When you are able to tell
your story in one sentence, you start out with control over your story and where it is
going. You find out right away if you’ve got a story that’s not about anything.
Write What Your Reader Needs to Know
I actually make a list. Yes, that’s right. As boring and uncreative as it sounds, I
make a list of the things that my reader NEEDS to know. Not the things that I want to tell
them, but the things that they need to know for the story to make sense. The fun stuff can
come later.
Beware of Personal Stories
Something happens to a story when it happens to us. We lose objectivity. Be very
careful of trusting a story that actually happened to you. Test it out on others. See if it gets
laughs in social settings. If it doesn’t, then it’s not as good as you thought it was. I
actually take myself out of the story and picture someone else telling the story.
Find the Story That Fits You
This is the story that speaks to your heart. If it doesn’t mean anything to you, it will
not mean anything to them. Be authentic. It’s everything.
Short and Simple
The more you cut from your story, the better it will be. Period. It’s not about how
many words you use, but what words you use. Say more with less. Replace three
paragraphs with three sentences. Don’t write long stories, write short stories and put them
together if you need something longer.
Be Specific Enough To Be Believable, Universal Enough To Be Relatable
The more specific and the more personal you get, the better your story will be. Aim
for stories that happened to you, not people you heard about. Avoid stories that most
people can’t relate to. Find stories that have themes that most people can relate to.
Start and End With a Bang
You have thirty seconds to get their attention. Don’t start a story with ten minutes
of introductory material. I can’t stand it when someone takes fifteen minutes preparing
me for a story they are about to tell. Start with a bang and end with a bang. Don’t hang
around at the end driving your point to death. End the story and get out.
The Story’s in the Details
It’s in the characters and the descriptions, and describing things in a way that no
one else has before. Use your senses. Show us the story instead of telling us about the
story.
Make Characters Real, Interesting and Believable
I believe that it’s not the plot that makes the story, but the people. Make your
characters real – with personalities and quirks – and if you’re at a loss, look around you.
Real life has more material than you could ever hope to create in your own imagination.
Write and Tell Your Story As If You Are Talking To a Friend
You’re not giving a news commentary, you’re telling a story. So write it the way
you speak. Make it comfortable. Make it easy to understand and follow.
Learn Your Story
Learn your story – every word. Then practice telling it as if you didn’t memorize it.
Learn the story in scenes. Write an outline and learn the outline. If you don’t know your
story well, then you run a big risk of filling in gaps with unnecessary information.
Bring Out the Best in People
Stay away from stories that scare or instill guilt. Don’t take them to the depths of
despair unless you really know what you are doing. They need to know that you are okay.
Stay in control of your own emotions. When you get too emotional you run the risk of
being perceived as manipulative.
Leave Them Feeling Hopeful
Audiences want stories with a happy ending. If you take them down, bring them
back up again. Good grief, at least let this be one place where they can live happily ever
after.
Don’t Hold Back
It’s the best story that wins in the end – not the right one. Don’t hold back because
you are afraid of appearing corny. Don’t play it safe. Safe is boring.
Display Your Humanity and You Will Touch Theirs
Whether it’s the writing or the telling of the story - put your personality into it. Be
yourself. Be passionate, be convincing, and be real. You must bring your emotion into the
story or it will have no connection with your audience. Display your humanity and you
will touch theirs.
As With Most Things in Life, It’s Not About Talent, It’s About Perseverance
I’ve often heard that the most successful people aren’t always the ones with the
most talent, but the ones who stick it out. It’s the same with stories. Sometimes your story
won’t hit the mark. Sometimes stories take time to evolve and truly become your own.
Keep at it. It will be worth the work you put into it.
Visit Kelly Swanson's website at
http://www.kellyswanson.net
