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Hey friends,
Coming at you a day late.
Today’s piece takes 3 minutes to read and you can check last week’s on Apple weaponizing a narrative here.
Let’s make you a better storyteller…
One Idea
A story is our creation of a reality; indeed, our story matters more than what actually happens. By “story,” then, I must mean those tales we create and tell ourselves and others, and which form the only reality we will ever know in this life.
Two Tactics
I saw Kevin Hart perform a few weeks back. He blew me away with his crowd control and ability to hit you with a gut-punch of an idea right after making you laugh for five straight minutes.
This sent me down the Kevin Hart rabbit hole. Here are two storytelling tactics he uses:
1/ Capture attention before you even start telling your story
Hart walks onto the stage with blinding lights and a baseball bat. It’s impossible to pay attention to anything else.
2/ Start with the opposite
When Kevin wants to hit you with one of those gut-punch ideas, the story starts with a joke. But when he wants to make you laugh, the story starts on a serious note.
The beginning of your story should be the opposite of the end. This creates a powerful 'story arc.'
Poll: I’ve debated doing deep dives on how specific brands and creatives use storytelling. Would you find that helpful? |
Three Resources
One Podcast
How to Take Over the World is a fantastic podcast. Ben recorded a two-part series on one of the best storytellers ever, Walt Disney, and I've listened to it twice.
You can listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
One Thread
My friend Zain did a masterful curation of Donald Miller’s Building a StoryBrand.
Steve Jobs said:
“The most powerful person in the world is the storyteller.”
Legendary brands like Apple and Nike are built on storytelling.
Here's the simple 7 step framework to help you master storytelling:
— Zain Kahn (@heykahn)
Aug 22, 2022
One Rabbit Hole
“How to be funny” is a top Google search every year. This hour-long vid from Mark Normand walks you through a comedian’s mind when writing a joke.
A message from... Me!
The interest in this tweet blew me away...
One way to become a better storyteller:
Take your two favorite authors. I recommend one non-fiction and one fiction.
Copy, word for word, their best work. Do it by hand.
I chose Paul Kalanithi and Neil Gaiman.
It’s the single exercise that improved my writing the most.
— Nathan Baugh 🗺️ (@nathanbaugh27)
Jan 5, 2023
In my experience, there are two ways to get good at storytelling:
Study the greats (what this newsletter is for)
Practice, practice, practice
I do a lot of practice through StoryWork.
And so many of you liked, commented, and sent me DMs about the practice I decided to turn it into a guided course for you.
Check it out:
I hope you enjoyed that.
The biggest compliment you can give me is bringing on a couple more friends as World Builders. I'll send you a curated list of frameworks and resources to become a better storyteller if you use your fancy, unique link below.
Talk next week,
Nathan
P.s: If you want to get your brand in front of 24k creators, entrepreneurs, and storytellers, fill out this form.