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.
Subscribe below so you don’t miss it! https://t.co/qMB8i60ney
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More from Sahil Bloom
Lifelong learning is a competitive advantage.
But contrary to what you’ve been told, lifelong learners are built, not born.
THREAD: 20 lifelong learning habits you can start developing today.
Stimulate Dynamically
The mind is a muscle - it needs to be stimulated dynamically to continue to grow.
Don’t rely on one “exercise” - develop a menu of options.
Write, read, listen, watch. Solve puzzles, play games. Enjoy it!
Stimulate dynamically, learn dynamically.
Build Learning Circles
The most powerful learning is communal, not individual.
Build learning circles with other intellectually curious minds.
Engage regularly with no set intention or goal.
Community is everything. Embrace it.
Keep Asking Why
“Why?” is the most useful tool in our learning toolkit.
But somewhere along the line, we are told to stop asking why and just accept “facts” as we are told them.
Reject the norm.
If you want to understand the world, take a cue from our kids - keep asking why!
Adopt a Process Orientation
Prioritize process.
Learn for the sake of learning, not always for a specific goal.
When you prioritize process, you become flexible in where you are headed.
Life is a winding, confusing journey - forward progress is all that matters.
But contrary to what you’ve been told, lifelong learners are built, not born.
THREAD: 20 lifelong learning habits you can start developing today.
Stimulate Dynamically
The mind is a muscle - it needs to be stimulated dynamically to continue to grow.
Don’t rely on one “exercise” - develop a menu of options.
Write, read, listen, watch. Solve puzzles, play games. Enjoy it!
Stimulate dynamically, learn dynamically.
Build Learning Circles
The most powerful learning is communal, not individual.
Build learning circles with other intellectually curious minds.
Engage regularly with no set intention or goal.
Community is everything. Embrace it.
Keep Asking Why
“Why?” is the most useful tool in our learning toolkit.
But somewhere along the line, we are told to stop asking why and just accept “facts” as we are told them.
Reject the norm.
If you want to understand the world, take a cue from our kids - keep asking why!
First principles thinking is a powerful mental model for driving non-linear outcomes. It also requires a willingness to ask difficult, uncomfortable questions.
— Sahil Bloom (@SahilBloom) March 14, 2021
Here are a few to help you get started: pic.twitter.com/KyuAr7IUf7
Adopt a Process Orientation
Prioritize process.
Learn for the sake of learning, not always for a specific goal.
When you prioritize process, you become flexible in where you are headed.
Life is a winding, confusing journey - forward progress is all that matters.
More from Marketing
I studied hundreds of top copywriting examples with @heyblake.
Use these 30 copywriting tips to convert readers into customers 🧵
Tip from Alex: Repeat Yourself
Reason: Your main benefit shouldn’t be expressed subtly. Repeat it three times. Make it known.
Example: Apple’s M1 Chip
Tip from Blake: Start with goals for the copy.
Reason: You need to know what you are writing, for whom, and what action it should lead to. No guesswork.
Example: My content engine at https://t.co/jYMMlbgFCw
Tip from Alex: Use Open Loops
Reason: Open loops peak a reader's interest by presenting an unsolved mystery to the reader. Our brains are hardwired to find closure. Make your product the final closure. Example: Woody Justice
Tip from Blake: Write short, snappy sentences.
Reason: People have short attention spans. And big blocks of text are super hard to read. Make it
Example: Every blog from @Backlinko
Use these 30 copywriting tips to convert readers into customers 🧵
Tip from Alex: Repeat Yourself
Reason: Your main benefit shouldn’t be expressed subtly. Repeat it three times. Make it known.
Example: Apple’s M1 Chip
Tip from Blake: Start with goals for the copy.
Reason: You need to know what you are writing, for whom, and what action it should lead to. No guesswork.
Example: My content engine at https://t.co/jYMMlbgFCw
Tip from Alex: Use Open Loops
Reason: Open loops peak a reader's interest by presenting an unsolved mystery to the reader. Our brains are hardwired to find closure. Make your product the final closure. Example: Woody Justice
Tip from Blake: Write short, snappy sentences.
Reason: People have short attention spans. And big blocks of text are super hard to read. Make it
Example: Every blog from @Backlinko
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
