What Great Storytelling is… And is Not

Sixty-one years ago today, a guy named Robert Allen Zimmerman legally changed his name to Bob Dylan.

In a few months, I’ll publish a book that embraces Bob Dylan on its very first page.

Here’s how the book — at least in its first draft form – begins:

When I was a young boy, my mom and dad gave me a turntable and a pair of headphones. Those ’phones were heavy as a barbell, with earpieces the size of grapefruits. I looked like a clown when I wore them, but I didn’t care. They transported me to a place where no one was watching or judging. 

When things weren’t going my way in high school, I’d put Todd Rundgren on the turntable, listen to Just One Victory, and transform from down-and-out to up-and-at-it.  Sometimes, I’d sing along, loudly: “…we need just one victory and we’re on our way” 

When my on-again-off-again college girlfriend dissed me one too many times, I’d spin Bob Dylan’s Don’t Think Twice It’s Alright and transform from sad and lonely to self-assured. 

And when I was 24 and my Dad returned from the doctor, told me he had stage-four colon cancer, and proclaimed, “It’s alright to cry,” I put on Bob Marley’s Three Little Birds and transformed – at least for a little while – from devastated to hopeful: “…every little thing is gonna be alright!”

The soundtrack of my life. Music’s transformative power. 

Great songs speak to us. Their stories are OUR stories.

Same goes for great story-powered content.

You captivate followers and draw them in when they see themselves in your stories.

Great storytelling is not, “Look at me.” It’s “I see you.”

The book is loaded with examples of great storytelling — and lessons about how to become a great client-attracting storyteller.

If you’d like a sneak-peek at the entire first chapter, reply to this email with “DYLAN.” I’ll send it to you right away.