The Secret to Telling BIG Stories Well

You may think your epic story about how you nearly died is a no-brainer for being storyworthy.

But you’d be wrong.

Big stories like this are actually the hardest to tell.

This is because hardly anyone can relate to them, and if your audience can’t relate, then they won’t feel any connection to you, and if they don’t connect to you, it’s not a good story.

Sam’s Note: Chapter 13 of Storyworthy is essentially a sample story from the author, so it has been skipped. You can listen to it on YouTube: https://youtu.be/N3J4Q5c1C1w?si=OpuLF2S509VwU6Kd

The way to pull off a ‘big’ story is to put the ‘big’ thing in the background.

The plane crash you were in or the time you got knocked out by Mike Tyson can definitely be part of the storyline, but the actual point of the story must be something much more relatable. It must be a 5-second heartfelt moment.

Look for the little moments hidden within the big moment.

In storytelling, shorter is almost always better.

No matter what you’re trying to say, aim to use fewer words to say it.

A good story is compelling from start to finish, including each moment in between. This isn’t an easy thing to do, and the longer your story is, the harder it becomes. Make it easier on yourself and shorten your story.

Telling a shorter story may be easier, but crafting one is actually harder. You will need to make difficult choices about what can stay and what must go. It requires strategic construction, but it will be worth it.