Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Here are four fundamental principles that separate the true stories
from the pretenders: character, context, conflict and creation.
Character
Go ahead. Name a story without any characters. Yeah, that’s what
I thought.
A character adds a face to the story. They give the events of the
story perspective. Characters allow the audience to see themselves
in the narrative and empathize.
Context
Stories do not exist in a vacuum. They happen in a specific time
and place — better known as a setting. The setting gives an
audience much-needed context for the story.
Setting provides the internal context for every story. Stories also
have two important external contexts — audience and medium.
Who are you telling the story to? And how are they receiving the
story? Audiences matter because who you’re talking to can change
what you say. The same is true for the storytelling format. Stories
in printed books are experienced differently from those shown in
online videos.
Conflict
The not-so-secret ingredient to a good story is conflict. What’s the
point of a story without conflict? A story without conflict is like a
sporting event without an opponent.
Conflict drives the action of the story. It supplies the tension that
motivates the characters. Conflict also gives a framework to the
narrative. Stories typically begin with the introduction of a
conflict. They end once the conflict is resolved.
When you’re telling a story, be sure to find the tension and bring it
to the forefront.
Creation
If the first three principles define the story, this one defines the
telling. Creation pulls together characters, context and conflict
into one comprehensive narrative.
Every storyteller has their own unique voice and style. These both
come into play as you craft the story in your own way. From the
words used, to how the narrative is structured, creativity plays an
important role in the storytelling process.
Two virtues really matter when creating a good story — clarity and
consistency. A story is no good if it’s too confusing or can’t agree
with itself. As long as you remain clear and consistent, you can’t go
wrong.