Storytelling

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Stories Are How We Interact with the World

I read. A lot.

That’s hundreds of thousands of words each year that I consume. Want to know what keeps me scrolling down or flipping pages?

Stories.

(And no, I don’t only read fiction! I mostly read non-fiction, actually.)

What I’ve discovered through my years of working with non-fiction authors is that very few actually understand the power of story – and know how to harness that power to keep readers turning pages, to make the messages sink in, to make their words have significance and impact.

Stories are how we interact with the world – not just the 1, 2, 3 of plot but the emotion that a well-crafted story can invoke. So then why, for heaven’s sake, aren’t more non-fiction writer’s getting on board with story?

Stories are how we interact with the world. Are you telling stories in your writing? Click To Tweet

Earlier this year, I was working with a client on a fascinating project about inner wisdom – how to listen to it, how to let it guide you. Fascinating and much-needed topic that was being addressed in ways I’d never seen before.

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Do Stories REALLY Create Connection to Your Reader?

Maybe this is you:

You’ve written MOST of your book. You’ve poured your heart, soul, and your best teaching into the book.

You’ve explained your concepts.

Then you’ve said, “In other words…”

And you’ve explained your concepts again.

That draft is nearly done – and it’s damn good. The writing is tight, sparse even, and every word counts.

But now…

You’ve got me, whispering in your ear. Whispering about… storytelling. Telling you that your hard-won book isn’t going to be effective, that the writing you’ve done, while brilliant, won’t actually make the difference in your reader’s life that you want it to make.

And you’re a little bit angry at me.

But mostly… you’re a little bit worried that I’m right. That your book ISN’T what you wanted it to be – the book that can change a life – but you’re not 100% sure how to take it from where you are now to where you want it to be.

Are stories the missing piece?

My darling fellow author, I would never tell you to do something if it didn’t matter! When was the last time I fussed at you about learning better grammar? Um… never! Why? Because THAT can be fixed in editing.

What can’t be fixed is the lack of stories. They aren’t something you can shoehorn in, after the fact.

How do I know?

First off, I have a degree in Creative Writing from the University of Arizona. So yes, I’ve done the studying of writing and storytelling in a University setting. I’ve also attended writer’s conferences around the world and studied writing with some of the top names in current literary work.

I’ve written more than 20 books OF MY OWN. The ones that outsell the others, that get the best reviews, and that have people contacting me – even years later – are the ones with the most stories. The “cut-and-dry” ones are just that… dry.

But more than that, I’ve got thousands of articles under my belt. Yes, thousands. I used to blog nearly daily at TheOutdoorPrincess.com (which… kinda still exists. More on the tech stuff in a day or two.)

Plus NINE YEARS of writing to you, here. At least weekly, often times more.

People will TELL you that they want cut-and-dry articles, pithy things like: Five Ways to Keep Readers Turning Pages (and then a short article with JUST the five ways.)

But here’s the thing:

Search engines may love that crap.

But PEOPLE don’t.

People want to connect. They want to know you’re a real person – with strengths, weaknesses, idiosyncrasies, dreams, hobbies, and flaws. They want to read your word and feel like they know YOU.

My least-received articles are the bland, here are your steps, articles.

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