What if your life became a best-selling story? Whoops! What would you say about what others are reading, listening to, and watching!??!
We all hope our lives tell a good tale because we live a positive story. Right? In the face of opposition, trials, persecutions, tribulations, and challenges, we stand up as David against Goliath. Where’s my sling?
Let me ask you a question that is not a stranger to me because I ask this of myself often.
Are you content with where you are, the road you’re taking, or the opportunities available?
Pause. Think about it. Is your story interesting? Would anyone care about the choices you made? The hurdles you overcame? Many of the answers come when we think about the story we are writing. The tale is about our life. We know well what “has happened” and are living the present and unsure about the future.
Maybe the key is to be the hero of Our Own Story. How? Tell it! Wouldn’t that put a different spin on the story? We go into it with the premise that we are the hero! Heros are not always victorious…just keep that in mind.
Imagine the impact you would have on a child, co-worker, or friend? Maybe you are their Super Hero! With that in the back of your mind, will you ignite a spark in someone who is facing life with similar challenges?
Write Your Own Story: Stories have an impact, not just in a fictional sense. Any writing can motivate a change in anyone who chooses to partake. Click To TweetCan you help someone else by telling your story? It depends. What does your account say?
How Do We Tell Our Story
I was in a Men’s Church Meeting where we had a contest to win a door prize. What did we have to do? Chop down a tree faster? Build an igloo? (This was in Alaska) Mush the dogs around a race track? No. The contest was to tell the best hunting story. Since I’ve never had a run-in with any wild game, I’m not so sure anyone would care about my story. I didn’t win even though it was a good story. It was my story.
Perhaps the problem we all have is learning how to weave a true-to-life recitation that draws interest.
There must be some keys to storytelling that draws an audience time and again. Why do I reread stories? They are interesting! An author has learned how to paint the word pictures that bring me to the bookshelf, opening the pages lovingly. Equally, there’s music I like to listen to over and over. The same is valid with videos – there’s nothing like The Sound of Music or Fiddler on the Roof.
If I can repeatedly listen and watch the same things,
why not enjoy reading the same story?
Word of Warning: I would rather read than listen or watch. My imagination is often more spectacular than listening to or watching someone else’s interpretation of the storied event.
How do stories draw me back into their story, song, or video? For some, why do we tell the same story over and over?
For me, someone knows how to pique my interest. The story is worth reading, listening and watching time and again. It doesn’t grow old. For me, it’s like eating breakfast food for any meal of the day because I love breakfast food!
When I reread Bible stories, I go in to comfort my knowledge base that I know the story. As I read more of the bible, I find the cross-connected pieces. Take a bit deeper? I’m always learning.
Some Tips
I’ve paused in writing to consider some favorite authors and wondered how they tell such a good story that I will reread. I’ve read just about everything by James Michener multiple times. I just bought his book Alaska on my Kindle for $2.99. (I’ve opened an Amazon Affiliate Store, click on the link, and I may earn a few pennies from anything you buy that I reference.) That’s good cheap reading!
Why Michener? Why Alaska? Do you have to ask??!!
Some authors know how to bring me to their story. Besides the basic 4 P’s (People, Place, Plot, Purpose), the storyline must have a theme or something that I find interesting. What I need or enjoy today will not be the same tomorrow. I’m always expanding my horizons, and I find answers to my research through my reading.
If I could outline what I think is important, I would use other lists but personalize them for me since I’m planning on a book in the future.
Here’s my list.
- Entice with something of value, a lesson learned, or a tragedy prevented. Describe a conflict and how you overcame the challenge.
- Tell the history. Yes, it’s many a page written, but the story’s backdrop for many readers brings them to your story. It matters.
- You cannot be the constant hero. There must be some pain, loss, or negative impact. Besides, always being the hero is boring! If you can never lose, then how can the story be fascinating? None of us are Superman!
- Personalize the story – let it contain the authors’ actual experiences or investigation into the subject or location.
- Be real! Learn from the pregnant pause – sometimes it’s best to let someone get their laughter or fear under control before you move on!
- Dance around the revelation of secrets. Let a surprise be something you find at the ending that makes sense of other parts of the challenge.
- Paint descriptive word pictures that allow one to visualize what the author is describing. If new details are added later, I repaint the picture in my mind from what I already visualized.
- Don’t tell all you know. Save deeper data for another story down the road.
- I’ve moved to e-books because I can research definitions, maps, culture, politics, and people on the fly. It’s easier doing this online instead of carrying research books with you everywhere you go!
There are probably many other bullet points I could describe, but suffice these to be my starting point.
Finally
There’s an old song that I’ve sung for a long time. Fanny Crosby wrote it in 1880. Her’s is a fascinating life. Despite all odds, she became the Queen of Gospel Songwriters with more than 8,000 to her credit. Blind from infancy, she lived 95 years and was most involved in her Godly heritage. Of all the songs she wrote, this one speaks to me on a deeper level. Why? It comes from a place that I’ve never been. Blind.
Just the refrain, but if you could ask an author to tell you a story of Jesus, what would be the words written? Imagine her asking this question:
Tell me the story of Jesus,
write on my heart every word;
tell me the story most precious,
sweetest that ever was heard.
Maybe this is the best story. Talking about Jesus, to Jesus, and sharing him everywhere we go. What did John write at the end of his gospel?
This is the disciple who testifies of these things,
and wrote these things;
and we know that his testimony is true.
And there are also many other things that Jesus did,
which if they were written one by one,
I suppose that even the world itself
could not contain the books that would be written. Amen.
John 21:24-25 NKJV