✍️ TWW #009: 5 Things You Needed to Know about Storytelling

In our high-school tribe, I'm the therapeutic friend.

And sometimes it's a hella burden.

Last two nights, I've spent 3 hours listening to a friend of mine talking about that one boy.

Nothing special - every high-school girl has a talking point like that.

Except...this talk was different.

At times, I caught myself:

• Smiling at texts

• At the edge of tears

• Feeling the pain she's going through on a physical level

(common, they were more than friends but not in a relationship, that is painful, no?)

In fact, she accomplished something every writer & copywriter is trying to:

Telling a great captivating story that creates an emotional response.

I know that you're probably sick of hearing how storytelling is important, but you gotta understand that our mind is basically all made up of stories.

Those who can tap into our minds & use stories to "manipulate" them into their worldview are the most powerful individuals on this planet.

And let me tell you something...

If a high-school girl with no storytelling education can do it, you can too.

The best thing about storytelling

It's not about being "good" at storytelling.

It's about implementing the stories in the correct way.

With 5 following dead-simple storytelling tips, you can upgrade your writing in a way that's going to serve both you & the audience.

Ready, go:

1. It all starts with a problem

"I quietly walked into the room ...but what I saw afterward caused a sharp pain in my chest."

Would you continue reading a story like that?

Of course.

When you start with a problem, people are curious about the solution.

• "What caused the sharp pain in my heart?"

• "Was it physical or mental?"

• "What's going to happen next?"

Whatever you decide to write, you must have a problem to introduce.

Then you gradually reveal the solution as your writing progresses.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

2. Choose your point of transformation

Anectodes are fine, and they usually do the job when trying to capture attention or to explain something.

But transformation is the difference between a story that people forget and a story that leaves an impact.

What's the 1 point of transformation?

What kind of realization does the character have?

What's the lesson you can pull out of this?

3. The proper storytelling structure

The structure is everything.

And the good news is...

Wherever you're see stories, whether it's:

• movie

• campaign

• sales letter

They all are using similar ones.

We could go hours about breaking these down, but for now, I recommend you study this thread from Jon Brosio:

4. Stories are made out of stories

This took me a long time to realize.

When we are talking about storytelling in writing or copywriting, it doesn't mean that the whole piece is based on a "classic" story.

No.

It's about the structure (see the last point).

In fact, storytelling & copywriting are synonomous, except that storytelling can be used in a broader context.

Yet both have 1 thing in common:

Problem & transformation.

And to illustrate the problem better, you can tell stories within stories (as I did at the beginning).

5. Create a curiosity gap

And...we finally got here.

The true secret lies in telling the story in a way that gives the reader no other option but...

...to continue reading.

And although learning this takes a lot of iteration & studying what others are doing, you can invoke the impact of this tip by using the right phrases:

• Wanna know the best part?

• Here's the catch:

• Let me explain

• You might be wondering

• And then it hit me...

Rhetorical questions keep the reader engaged.

Alrighty - that's it for today.

This was a quick one (definitely not written 30 minutes before sending), yet the next week I'm ready to fully step up my newsletter game.

Talk soon,

Claudia "The Therapeutic Friend" Stellner

P.S.: Don't forget to catch some sunlight today ;)

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