Why Story Power
On my 14th birthday, Mom and Dad gave me two 10-packs of Maxell XLII-S cassette tapes. Yes!!!!!!!!!! Greatest birthday gift ever. Back in the early 80s, before CDs or MP3s were a thing, cassettes were THE thing. Affordable. Portable. Swappable. Indispensable. High-fidelity cool I raided my friends’ record collections and taped my favorite albums. I…
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Here’s a question sure to prompt furious debate: Which show is better:Breaking Bad orBetter Call Saul? If you don’t know these shows, stick with me. There’s a heaping helping of storytelling how-to below… …and you don’t need to know diddly about the shows to dig in. If you do know the shows, cast your vote. Which…
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A few days ago, when I offered website mini-makeovers to the first five people who requested them, I got an email from a subscriber who wanted my help… …but needed, first, to point out for her site’s “shortcomings.” She wrote: “My caveat…we are a small organization and pay an independent web designer to do our…
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Shark-attack stories are in the news. East coast. West coast. Sharks are attacking from sea to shining sea. Two attacks off the same Long Island beach yesterday. And earlier this summer, a swimmer in California nearly died. He described what happened on the morning news: “I was bitten ferociously by a shark right across my…
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Fifteen years ago today (June 29, 2007), Apple released the first iPhone. The rest is… …you know. Here’s the thing about Apple: The company makes great technology, but what really sets it apart is the storytelling. So many great, story-powered ads. My favorite? One called “Bounce” — a 2019 ad for AirPods (ear phones). I…
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A few weeks back, I stumbled across an article by a so-called “storytelling expert” who droned on and on about something called Freytag’s Storytelling Pyramid. Freytag was a 19th-century German playwright. And, unless you’re a glutton for punishment, I have good news for you: You don’t have to know anything about Freytag or his pyramid…
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Back in the early 1970s, I was still a wee lad playing kick ball on the blacktop at Conway School… …when I heard the rumor. Cathy Summers eats her own boogers. (GASP!) I don’t remember who started the rumor, and I have no idea if it was true. But I know the booger-rumor stuck. And…
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I touched a nerve yesterday. In my Monday Mash-Up yesterday, I shared an article that called “B.S.” on Simon Sinek’s “start with why.” I received lots of replies from subscribers who agreed. No one defended Sinek. Sinek’s big idea from his 2010 TED talk, “People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it.” That…
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Driving yesterday from St. Louis to Kansas City, Melissa and I listened to one of my favorite podcasts called “Good Songs.” The singer/songwriter Peter Himmelman and his son Isaac pick a song they love and discuss it briefly. As we drove through Kingdom City, MO, we listened to the episode about Taylor Swift’s song “Tis…
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Sana met “Prince of Joy” in an online chat room after she grew tired of her husband, Adnan. She called herself “Sweetie” in the chat room, and she poured her heart out to Prince of Joy. Prince poured back. They had so much in common. Both from Bosnia. Both in loveless marriages. Both looking for…
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