If you were given the following notes about a story, how would you fill in the details?
Characters: University students, parents, Ted Bundy
Setting: Florida State University
Plot: A university community reacts to the trauma that occurred in an on-campus sorority
Conflict/drama: Two students died, and the killer was missing
Resolution: The days go by, life goes on, Ted Bundy is caught, tried, and executed, but the trauma remains a part of the students’ and parents’ psyche
I am guessing you would not tell the story the same way I would tell it as a student living in a dorm across the street from the sorority the night it happened.
We all have stories to tell. What's your story? We all want our friends, neighbors, relatives, and colleagues to lean in, listen, and respond to our stories. What prompted you to read this article? Why did you lean in?
To get our target audience to lean into our stories we must create a narrative they can relate to in some way. According to the National Storytelling Network, the listener's role is to actively create the images, characters, and events in his or her mind. The listener's past experiences and interpretations influence how the completed story is understood. In a sense, the listener becomes a co-author of the story.
Does this mean you tell a story in detail and the audience changes the story? In a word, no.
Storytellers use imagery to paint pictures in the minds of their audiences. They create an impression of what is happening in a story. Just as painters like Edgar Degas and Vincent Van Gogh created images on canvas using simple strokes, the storyteller creates impressions with words--helping the audience to conjure up the details in the story based on their own experiences.
The five essential elements of a good story are characters, setting, plot, conflict (sometimes called drama), and resolution. Those are the elements I listed at the beginning of this article. I am not a fan of horror stories, so I am not going to go into details about the events of that cold fateful night in January. I do not want to relive the details of the incident. The story made the national news and was turned into a true crime drama. I am just using my experience to make the point that you do not always have to provide all the details in your story. Just provide enough details to engage your audience so they lean into your story.
Think of your story as art. “Art is not what you see but what you make others see.” (Edgar Degas)
For more articles from CStarsky Lifelong Learning LLC about storytelling:
