Most people suck at telling stories.
But if you avoid these 7 storytelling mistakes, I guarantee you won’t:
🧵
But if you avoid these 7 storytelling mistakes, I guarantee you won’t:
🧵
❌ Not Controlling the Tempo
As a storyteller, pace and prose are your secret weapons.
When things are calm, speak slow and soft. But during chaos, use strong words and short sentences.
Make your stories a rollercoaster.
As a storyteller, pace and prose are your secret weapons.
When things are calm, speak slow and soft. But during chaos, use strong words and short sentences.
Make your stories a rollercoaster.
❌ Starting Slow
Nobody owes you their attention.
How you start decides how you succeed. You need to grab it fast. Avoid long winded introductions and start in the middle of the action.
Throw your audience in the deep end.
Nobody owes you their attention.
How you start decides how you succeed. You need to grab it fast. Avoid long winded introductions and start in the middle of the action.
Throw your audience in the deep end.
❌ No Details
People don’t care about stories they can’t see.
Use:
· Times
· Dates
· Senses
· Colours
· Emotions
Vagueness is a killer. Specificity is the secret.
People don’t care about stories they can’t see.
Use:
· Times
· Dates
· Senses
· Colours
· Emotions
Vagueness is a killer. Specificity is the secret.
❌ No Lesson
Stories exist to share experiences.
Without a point, you’re wasting an opportunity. More importantly, you waste your audience’s time.
Start with the story, leave with the lesson.
Stories exist to share experiences.
Without a point, you’re wasting an opportunity. More importantly, you waste your audience’s time.
Start with the story, leave with the lesson.
❌ No Enemy
Every great story has a villain.
The aim is to unite your audience with you. People care much more when you can trigger ‘us vs them’. Create conflict and personify the cause.
No enemy, no excitement.
Every great story has a villain.
The aim is to unite your audience with you. People care much more when you can trigger ‘us vs them’. Create conflict and personify the cause.
No enemy, no excitement.
❌ No Storybank
Most people think they suck at storytelling. But they don’t lack skill, they lack inspiration. Stories are everywhere, but only if you train your mind to look.
Set a rule to save one story a day.
Build the muscle.
h/t @judecharles
Most people think they suck at storytelling. But they don’t lack skill, they lack inspiration. Stories are everywhere, but only if you train your mind to look.
Set a rule to save one story a day.
Build the muscle.
h/t @judecharles
❌ No Loops
If you want people to love your story, open loops.
Subconsciously, we can’t help but try to close information gaps. It’s why Netflix shows finish with cliffhangers. You get sucked in.
To hook and hold attention, curiosity is key.
If you want people to love your story, open loops.
Subconsciously, we can’t help but try to close information gaps. It’s why Netflix shows finish with cliffhangers. You get sucked in.
To hook and hold attention, curiosity is key.
Thanks for reading!
If you enjoyed this, 2 requests:
1. Drop me a follow @itskierandrew - I'm building my business as a creator and sharing everything I learn along the way.
2. Share the thread so others can read
Just click below and up you go, cheers.
If you enjoyed this, 2 requests:
1. Drop me a follow @itskierandrew - I'm building my business as a creator and sharing everything I learn along the way.
2. Share the thread so others can read
Just click below and up you go, cheers.
If you'd like to build your business as a creator, I have a free course that's better than most people's paid (not my words 😅).
Come join 15,000+ people writing their way to freedom here:
kierandrew.ck.page
Come join 15,000+ people writing their way to freedom here:
kierandrew.ck.page
P.S.
If you want a resource to quickly improve your storytelling skills, @JudeCharles's Storybank is amazing.
It's full of useful prompts and has a great notion template to save your stories.
Check it here:
judecharles.gumroad.com
If you want a resource to quickly improve your storytelling skills, @JudeCharles's Storybank is amazing.
It's full of useful prompts and has a great notion template to save your stories.
Check it here:
judecharles.gumroad.com
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