I have always been drawn to storytellers who are able to craft their stories in its most simplistic form.
Stand-up comedians are storytellers who are so precise in setting up their bits that you wont know what hit you until it cracks you up. Seinfeld is my all time favorite, and his stories have stood the test of time.
Have you read Margot Leitman’s book? It’s called: “Long Story Short: The Only Storytelling Guide You’ll Ever Need. Margot is an award-winning storyteller, best-selling author, speaker and teacher.
Over the years of personal blogging and writing for online publications, Margot’s storytelling guidelines always stuck with me. Be it flash writing short stories and introspective non-fiction, I got used to these simple techniques to connect with my readers.
Chunking
Margot talks about visualizing your subject using chunks. This resonated with what I have learned in Toastmasters, a non-profit organization that helps you become a better public speaker.
I would chunk up my speeches into parts that I could string together on stage, as opposed to memorizing the whole speech and stumbling over a fumble.
So, write your story in chunks. When ideas come uninvited into you mind — this maybe at work, while driving (in which case you must pull over, for it’s always safety first), at the gym or even as you wake up from a dream — just jot it down. I write on Medium so I use the mobile app to add to my drafts, which I can later expand on during my writing time.
Just Write
“Story is just a rant unless you get to the meat of it.”
Part 3 of the “Long Story Short” is what I found most valuable, and I have referenced it and reread it several times. This is where Margot starts to summarize and talks about the ingredients that goes into a story: the intro, the middle or the meat, and the conclusion.
The Intro
I have always found getting started to be the toughest part of writing stories. Margot’s powerful tip comes in handy here. She suggests that we write the story as we would tell it to a friend, as if we were in a conversation with someone.
For example, I could open a story like a comedian would start a bit like this:
“So I was chatting with my wife one night…”
This is a neat little trick to get the words flowing out onto the page. You could break through your wall of writer’s block almost instantly.
The Meat
Once you get started, don’t stop until you get to your first milestone. Work your way to the middle of the story, the meaty part, where the emotion of the story is.
It’s the hook and the more meaty it is the better.
But don’t drag on. Know when to start reeling in your reader.
Margot suggests not to tell the audience about the moral of the story. Instead, just tell them what happens next. Don’t give it all away, even if you are tempted to.
The Conclusion
If it feels like you have said enough, then it’s time to conclude.
Sometimes the best conclusion is to leave a bit of it to imagination. Work your way to closure without underestimating your audience.
Your readers are clever and they’ll get it. We don’t have to spell it all out, especially in flash writing it where the art of deduction is usually the underlying strategy.
Personally, I like to experiment with creative ways to end a story. I like the idea of a cliffhanger. Why not let the audience draw their own ending without revealing a pre-defined closure.
Watch the movie “The Anatomy of a Fall” and many others like it where the ending is left for the audience to decide.
Bonus: The Seinfeld Formula
In chapter 14, Margot points to the Seinfeld formula to tell a story. It’s pure genius and such a revelation for the ardent die-hard Seinfeld fan that I am.
Silly Story + High Stakes + Dump Plot = ROFL
Let Your Story Marinate
After the story is written, shift your focus onto something else. Let it marinate for a few hours, maybe a day or two. When you get back to it, Margot suggests that we read the story out loud.
Then test it out and get feedback. You can do that by joining our chat.
Margot asks that we try to keep that group small, which is what I do. When I am done with writing, I always share my 1st draft with my wife and my brother. They are my best critics and I value their feedback. Their brutally honest reviews have made me rewrite stories entirely.
Over time you will learn from your mistakes and your writing improves, but when until then be prepared to scrap it all and start over. It’s usually the masterpiece you want it to be a few rounds in.
Here are some of the questions from Margot that we need to be vary of in the editing/revision process:
Did the audience relate? Was it easy to read? Does it fall flat?
The ultimate goal as a writer, I think, is to sound genuine. So, write with passion and your stories will engage the audience.
Tell Your Story
Someone out there needs to read your story.
I'm relatively new to essay writing. I always feel like I have the intro and hook and the meat part down, but do tend to struggle on what to end on in the essay. I've added Long Story Short to be my book list, thanks for the rec Raj.