I am fond of making plans and making lists. My husband accuses me of “making plans to make a plan. He says that I can never just go with the flow. He is absolutely correct; I cannot. In my world of academia, lack of planning is disastrous. Teachers plan lessons so that their expectations and student outcomes match. In our personal lives, lists are as imperative. Go to the grocery store without a list usually means we spend much more money and still don’t buy what we need. Tell your teenager to make dinner without any directions. You might be in for an unwelcome surprise.
My first experience at crafting a personal story has been very disconcerting. Truthfully, I have lost sleep for three nights in a row wondering if my story will have the intended effect. Yes, I want to take my audience on a mental journey. But, will I be successful? I was in need of a list. Thanks to Akash Karia in his book entitled TED Talks Storytelling, I have the makings of a list of Best Practices for Personal Story Crafting. This is a first-draft and I would welcome any suggestions for additions or improvements.
- A story has a major “take away” and perhaps several other smaller themes. What single idea can the audience latch on to? Perhaps, what allowed the character to overcome the conflict? What are the several ways you transmit that in your story? Listeners find satisfaction when there is resolve and a lesson has been learned.
- Conflict keeps the audience engaged in the story. “What will happen next?” Emotions are aroused that connects the listeners to the story. Is the conflict easily recognizable? Is the conflict referred to often in the story? What descriptions are used throughout the story that relate to the conflict? NO conflict = NO curiosity = NO interest.
- Show, don’t tell. Use images to describe the characters and/or settings. Compare “he squished the bug” with “he stepped on the bug.” Or “he firmly grasped the bug” versus “he held the bug.” The acronym VAKOG can help you remember to use all of the senses:
- V = visual
- A = auditory
- K= kinesthetic/touch
- O=olfactory/smell
- G=gustatory/taste.
Activating all of the senses will help your audience hear your story as if they were watching a mental movie.
- Specificity adds to credibility.
- “Last month” versus “It went down that Wednesday in the first week of May.”
- “Many people quit.” versus “over 60 employees walked away from their life long careers.”
- Concrete details provide more of a mental picture than overly used words. Which words are repetitive in your story? Replace them. Add variety. This website,
http://www.consultpivotal.com/commonly_overused.htm contains a list of overly used words and a variety of synonyms that could take their places.
- Dialogue is more powerful than narration. Narration is like looking through a foggy window at a distant scene where as dialog is up front and personal. It throws the audience into the scene. It is often shorter and “punchier” than narration. When using dialog, vary the pacing, pitch, and volume of your voice to personalize the characters in the story.
Now that I have a partial list of “Do’s and Don’ts” for crafting personal stories, I find comfort in knowing that I am on a road versus lost in my own mire.
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