Storytelling

What is a Story?

A story is a reflection of a change over time. It is not a series of remarkable events. You must start as something and end as something new.

The simplest pattern that satisfies this constraint is the rise-fall structure of simple stories, such as fairy tales, which begin with one stable state (“Once upon a time… “), proceed through a climax, and recede to a different stable state (“… happily ever after”), where something has changed (the prince and princess are united, for instance). As shown in a Freytag triangle:

A story is also not a romp. A romp is an entertaining and amusing anecdote.

At the core of every story is a five second moment. Everything else is there to put that moment in the greatest clarity possible. Everything that doesn't should be cut or marginalized as much as possible.

That moment is the climax of your story. Your beginning is the opposite of that moment, as close in time as you can be to that moment. Examples:

• "I once was lost, but now am found."
• "I once was uncertain, but now I know."

Story writing practices

Homework for life

The practice of sitting every day and telling a story. It only has to be a sentence. Helps you recognize and appreciate how many stories there are, and how rich life can be.

Free writing

Set a timer, and start writing. Don't edit and don't stop. The idea is to outrun your inner critic to get to buried ideas and emotions.

First, last, best, worst

Think of a topic, and then answer those four questions.

Example prompts: Car, pet, trouble, injury, gift, kiss, travel

Story crafting techniques

Permissible lies

1. Omission - Leave out details that don't matter.
2. Compression - Remove empty time and space.
3. Assumption - fill in details you don't know about.
4. Progression - change the order of events (but don't invent new ones.)
5. Conflation - Combine people and events. Years are boring. Days are thrilling

Setting the stage

In the first sentence, say something that gives your audience a sense of place. Giving them that makes the story easier to visiualize.

Present tense

Tell stories in the present tense when possible. Example of a story edited to add present tense (and also some stage setting)

Before

I entered an on-boarding Zoom meeting. Welcome’s were exchanged. And the development teams slide was pulled up… “Dev Lead?” I thought. “That has to be a mistake.” Nope. Definitely not a mistake. My manager (who happened to be the person I interviewed with) had a chat with me after orientation. Turns out he was so impressed with my interview, that he made the executive decision to promote me to dev lead for the next project.

Oh boy… was I “petering” up somehow? Did I even have the skills to do this? As a new Sr, I thought I’d be the Robin to someone’s batman. But here I was as Gotham’s favorite crime fighter.

After

I'm sitting in my home office, entering an on-boarding Zoom meeting. We exchange welcomes. My manager pulls up the development teams slide… “Dev Lead?” I'm thinking, “That has to be a mistake.”

Nope. Definitely not a mistake. My manager (who happened to be the person I interviewed with) had a chat with me after orientation. Turns out he was so impressed with my interview, that he made the executive decision to promote me to dev lead for the next project.

Oh boy… am I “petering” up somehow? Do I even have the skills to do this? As a new Sr, I thought I’d be the Robin to someone’s batman. But here I am, Gotham’s favorite crime fighter.

Anti-douchbaggery

People prefer stories of failure over stories of triumph. When you must tell a success story, soften it by either maligning yourself or marginalizing the accomplishment.

Contrast sorrow with humor.

See humor.

Storytelling frameworks

Three act structure

• Act 1: The inciting incident
• Act 2: Confrintation
• Act 3: Resolution

Three act variant: Hero's Journey / monomyth

• Act 1: Depature: Call to adventure, refusal of the call, crossing the first threshold
• Act 2: Initiation: tests, allies, and enemies. The ordeal, the reward.
• Act 3: Return: the road back, the resurrection, return with the elixir.

Wikipedia Link

Freytag double triangle

Japanese horror: kishōtenketsu

• introduction (起): introduces the plot, characters, world, etc.
• development (承): the second part develops and fleshes them out more.
• twist (転): then there is a twist that throws into question what you just learned previously
• resolution (結)": and the ending somehow harmonizes this with the first two parts.

Quotes