How can you write a story that is both entertaining and thought-provoking?

Knowing your purpose in this context to me means "know your structure." Know the arc or the ebb and flow of your story. Know what you think is the ending/resolution. Know the approximate length. Know what themes you want to shed light on or discuss. Know the overarching question your piece is addressing. To make it entertaining, experiment with reversals -- where your story defies expectation, takes a turn, or surprises the reader. Know your characters, know their unconscious weaknesses, their strengths, their vulnerabilities.

What's the secret to an exciting story that captivates your readers? You have to start from the simplest, yet most intense step of storytelling. I'm talking about crafting your story premise. Your premise is the seed from which the story grows. In simplest terms, it's what your story is about. Think of a movie you like. When you tell someone, in a sentence, what it's about, that's the premise. If you can create an effective premise before you write the rest of the story, you win. Why? Because you are confident the rest of the story grow from a strong foundation. This technique changed my life. It's how I finally finished my first novel. And now, I'm never worried about how to get a story started. Try it!

Keep yourself in the readers' place and brainstorm as many ideas as you get. List them down and pick the one that makes you the most excited.

A thought-provoking story is only effective if it captures and holds your audience's attention. Doing that means crafting characters and situations that resonate on a deep, emotional level. Create protagonists who feel like real people, with relatable flaws, desires, and challenges. The kind of characters readers can see themselves in, even if their circumstances are wildly different. When your audience is invested in a character's journey, they're more open to exploring the big ideas and themes in your narrative. Pepper your story with moments of tension, surprise, and revelation to keep readers on the edge of their seats. When fully immersed, they are primed to grapple with the questions and ideas you introduce in your narrative.

An engaging story stirs thought, reflection, and self-examination. Think of storytelling as a collaboration with your reader. They're not an observer, but an active participant. Your writing should be a conversation, not a summary. It should encourage readers to think, feel, and respond. Your role as a writer is to captivate readers' imaginations and draw them into a shared adventure.

One of my favourite writing strategies as a copywriter is to challenge myself to write for my readers "both brains." This means writing both to the emotional part of their brain and the intellectual, logical part. Practically speaking, this means ensuring there are logical arguments, facts, numbers etc. in the article - as well as emotional bits and pieces, such as references to what the numbers and figures mean for people on the individual level. A good piece of writing is always entertaining in the sense that it's easy to read. But the best pieces also challenge the reader with new information, more complex concepts and surprising facts!

Provocation is the soul of engagement. To challenge your readers in novels, lean into conflict and tension in your storytelling. Use narrative friction to spark a reaction; make your readers grapple with the uncomfortable. Characters are your chess pieces—move them into situations that force the reader to ask, "What would I do?" The most resonant stories force readers to confront the discord between who they are and who they aspire to be. The takeaway? Don’t just tell a story. Start a conversation. Thoughtful writing doesn’t end at the last page—it begins there.

Engaging stories come in all shapes and sizes. Don't be afraid to play with structure, style, and genre to find the most impactful way to tell your tale. Maybe your story is a nonlinear narrative jumping back and forth in time. Maybe it needs a unique POV, like a collective first-person plural that implicates the reader in the unfolding events. Perhaps it mashes genres in unexpected ways, blending science fiction, romance, and political thriller into something entirely new. Let your experimentation serve the story's purpose, not overshadow it. When done well, playing with form can make your story stand out, stick in readers' minds, and inspire them to see the world in a new way.

1. Humour is the way. Intelligent humour keeps things light, educative as well as fun and easy to remember. 2. Metaphors. Easy, fun, relatable.

You know what annoys me? When "gurus" talk about storytelling as if it's something you just do. You're expected to sit at your desk and craft an engaging story by snapping your fingers. This is why a lot of writers get discouraged. At the professional level, storytelling is a craft. You have to hone your skill to become good at it. This skill takes both time and effort to master. So, if you want to tell good stories, find an effective resource. It could be a book or a solid course. Then apply the techniques you discover. Give yourself some time to master various elements of storytelling. Don't rush it. If you do this step, you'll start writing stories that will change your life.

You know you're golden if your copy is both entertaining & thought-provoking. But this flaming combination doesn't come naturally to everyone, right? At times, it lacks either of the two elements. And, this is where good research does its magic. Knowing who you're writing for is basic and primary, of course. But what's next if you need plenty of examples to grasp and restructure your craft? You start engaging with other notable copies that excel in producing the same blend. Read, read, and read. Process and understand what they're doing. Communicate with them to understand the core of how they do it. Reach out to several leads, workshops or even books that seem like great references to help you out. Practice more and replay the cycle.