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How To Write (Good) Stories Quickly
Get Out Of Your Thoughts
AJ Louis
August 26, 2024
Tough Crowd
It seems like everyone is a critic these days, often more critical than capable. For a creative person, it can be scary to release a big idea and face rejection. After all, it's a tough world for an idealist with a mind full of new invention ideas, possibly talking about the square root of an imaginary number to someone who doesn't care.
It can be hard to keep going without encouragement. Trust me, I’ve been there. When I was in college, I shared my ideas with my dad, my resident cynic. I always had a lot of ideas for technology and fiction stories. My dad would pick them apart, and rightfully so. He did this so I could see just how much work it would take to execute.
During that time I realized:
The people I am talking to may not be my audience
My message was unfocused
I was overwhelming the listener by saying too much
I am chasing people away instead of drawing them in
Sound familiar? Luckily for me, I was already studying storytelling and discovered a plotting tool that was instrumental in constructing stories cinematically. I now realize there isn't such a thing as a bad story, just a poorly written one. Since a story can be written about anything, why not use stories to present ideas? People tend to remember information better when wrapped in prose because they provoke emotion. Humans need to feel good about your idea to buy in.
Let me put you on game!
Know Thy Reader
It’s a waste of time to come up with solutions without first discovering a problem to solve. Otherwise, you are just getting excited about something you think may sell, although you haven’t targeted anyone likely to buy it. The same goes for a story you are telling or want to tell. Consider who you will share your idea with first, and build a user persona for them. Get to know your audience well so you can write about what they want to know.
Think Like A Designer 💡
If you don’t know what problem you are solving, think about the outcomes you want your solution to provide for your users or readers. The opposite of it would be the problem you want to solve.
Then, you research who actually experiences the problem most often, and who would appreciate some reduced friction around finding relief. That person is your customer. You will learn more about them as you engage more, further defining your niche over time.
For example, I want to write compelling stories to create fans and increase sales. Which means, the problem I am trying to solve is a lack of following, stagnant sales, and high churn. Who does that matter to? Entrepreneurs and Rainmakers like yourself.
The Story Circle For Business
Personally, cinematic storytelling is the pinnacle of all forms of storytelling. There's deep science behind why the cinematic story structure is so effective, but in short, it parallels the Hero’s Journey, the Monomyth. This story pattern is something we can all find in our lives at every stage. Using the Hero’s Journey makes your story more relatable, allowing readers to empathize with the main character, immersing themselves in the world you’ve created.
The Hero’s Journey has 12-17 parts, but much trickier and time consuming to plot out. Instead, I use Dan Harmon’s Story Circle, which is an abbreviated version of the Hero’s Journey. 8 parts instead of 12-17 is less tedious to develop. And in our world, speed to market is key.
You
Define the world for your user/reader before they find your solution.
Need
Provide an explanation of their desire due to the pains and needs they have.
Go
Describe an inciting incident that causes them to finally try to solve their problem.
Search
Explain the road of trials they may face trying to solve their problem in a world without your solution. The secret here is to ramp up the anxiety to build empathy.
Find
Present your solution and describe 3 ways your solution solves their issues
Take
Explain the experience of engaging with your solution and provide a bonus insight by explaining your key takeaway. In essence, what is the moral of your story?
Return
Show them 3 outcomes of using your solution. Describe the world they will return to transformed. Usually opposite of where they began in the story.
Change
Explain the steps they need to engage with to access your services and products, also known as a Call to Action.
In essence, it ain’t rocket science. Its more like learning to shoot a basketball well. All it takes is repetition. I use this format to quickly jot down story ideas, and possibly come back to them later. The key is to write them out quickly before you lose them. By using the Story Circle, you can get a high level view of what the story would be like without writing thousands of words to your own demise.
Synopsis
Use stories to present your ideas
Research your audience so you present information that resonates with them
Utilize The Story Circle to quickly get your ideas out of your head
Get your reps in buddy! Practice makes perfect.
Ready To Tell Your Story?
If you are serious about getting your ideas out into the world, but don’t necessarily have the time to bring it all together, schedule some time with me. 1 hour of legend is all you need to get your story together for your next book idea, or business offering. Stories are dynamic, and I would love to be apart of your story!
I can help you 4 ways:
Simplify your complex ideas into marketable narratives
Gamify your user engagement with narrative design
Write darn good stories to captivate readers
Build storytelling strategy, so you know what stories to tell when its time
Schedule Time To Design Your Story:
Your Homework
Find a problem you want to solve. Try to pick something you are passionate about.
Define the person the problem affects the most
Discover the friction in how they are solving it now
Write a story about how you would solve it using The Story Circle above.
Share it with me
It took me awhile to find my niche, but writing the story helped me ideate. The Story Circle is more than just a plotting tool, it is a measuring stick that lets me know how well I know my audience, their issues, and if I even have a solution to offer them in the first place. By plugging those variables into the Story Circle, you may find that what you are trying to do doesn’t even make sense, and needs to be tweaked.
Nonetheless, don’t give up. Keep going. And remember, there isn’t such thing as a bad story, just a poorly written one. So, rewrite it.
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