What Goes Into a GOOD STORY?

"In the name of God, stop a moment, cease your work. Look around you." - Leo Tolstoy

Years ago when I worked in Wash DC, I had an opportunity to take Arthur Frommer - travel pioneer and author of the Europe on $5 a Day books - to a TV station for an interview.

The reporter asked, “Mr. Frommer, you’ve been to some of the world’s most spectacular places, the Taj Mahal, the Great Wall. What’s your favorite place to visit?”

Guess what Frommer said? “My backyard.”

But then he added something profound.

He said, “The purpose of a vacation is to provide CONTRAST. If you’re making decisions all day, you may just want a relaxing getaway. If you're sedentary, you may want adventure.”

Summers used to be a contrast to the rest of the year.

We would head to the beach, have backyard barbecues, baseball outings, picnics in the park.

We took time to notice and appreciate the bluebells.

Now, for many of us, summers simply look like the rest of the year.

Our days are not supposed to blur and blend together.

We are supposed to stop a moment, cease our work, look around, and do something that celebrates our health, loved ones, the great outdoors and the gift of being alive.

What will you do to make the most of this summer so it doesn’t mimic the rest of the year?

How will you create contrast so you always remember Summer 2021 fondly?

What will you do this week to notice and appreciate the blue bells?

- - -

Switching gears.

One purpose of this newsletter is to offer tips on how to create intriguing communications, so thought I'd share the backstory to this story, in case you're curious.

1.The story wasn't just about contrast, it provided contrast. Contrast is defined as "the state of being strikingly different from something else in juxtaposition or close association." One of the quickest ways to be intriguing is to introduce something unexpected.

Fommer's answer caught us by surprise. What is an important communication you've got coming up? How can you earn people's favorable attention by introducing something they didn't see coming?

2. The story features one line paragraphs. People skip or skim paragraphs that are longer than 5 lines. How can you divide up long paragraphs to provide white space?

3. The story uses Alliteration, Iambic Meter and Rhyme to up-level the craft. That didn't happen first time around. I went back and played with the language until it felt tight and right. Here's how Amanda Gorman did that in her inaugural poem to make it go viral, and how you can too.

4. It was actionable and (hopefully) motivated you to do something to make this summer memorable. Want a "pull back the curtain" reveal on that last step?

I originally published that short story on Instagram. But it didn't feel finished. There was something bothering me about it, so I went back and noodled with it.

What was missing was an insight I learned from Harvard professor John Kotter who said, "You know what the #1 prerequisite is for change? A sense of urgency."

Aha. Summer is 3 months long. It's vague. Sweeping. Not specific enough for us to take action now. So I added, "What will you do this week?" to make it more immediate.

People are more likely to do something soon than they are someday. How can you add a recommended next step at the end of your story so people are motivated to act now?

5. This was written in flow. Tolstoy's quote was in my SOMEDAY journal that morning.

Instead of just reading it, I asked, "Do I need to stop and look around? What am I missing?" I realized we're several weeks into summer and I haven't done anything summery.

I started riffing off that idea and the thoughts flowed so fast, my fingers could hardly keep up. I got out of the way of what wanted to be said and got it down on paper. And then, as mentioned, I noodled with it until I wouldn't change a word.

That's when we know it's right. When we read it out loud and there's no stopping or stumbling. The words take on a momentum of their own and fit together seamlessly.

Do you write thinks (not a typo) down when they come to you in a state of flow? Do you ink it when you think it and jot thoughts when they're hot so you make the most of the muse?

Hope you found this useful - and I hope you get out and notice those bluebells. (Smile).