Storytelling Tips Series
The Power of Storytelling
Listen in as Andrew Stanton shares the power of storytelling via a Ted talk
Here are a few of the points Andrew Stanton, screenwriter of Toy Story, Finding Nemo, WALL-E, Finding Dory, and John Carter, made on telling stories during a 2012 Ted talk. His points are worth paying attention to if you want to write better books, create more interesting blog posts, write better Medium posts, speak with more impact, tell better stories, and produce better news releases.
TV host Mr. Rogers carried this quote from a social worker: “Frankly, there isn’t anyone you couldn’t learn to love once you’ve heard their story.”
Storytelling is joke telling. It’s knowing your punch line.
Stories deepen our understanding of who we are as human beings.
Stories allow us to experience our similarities.
Stories should make us care.
Don’t give your audience 4. Give them 2 + 2. Let them work to complete the story.
All well-drawn characters have a spine.
We’re all learning all the time.
That’s why change is fundamental in story. If things go static, stories die because life is never static.
Drama is anticipation mingled with uncertainty. — William Archer
Storytelling is joke telling. It’s knowing your punch line.
Have you created honest conflict that creates doubt on what the outcome might be?
Pixar rules: No songs. No I Want moment. No happy village. No love story.
You can build a better story.
Storytelling has guidelines, no hard fast rules.
A strong theme is always running through a well-told story.
The secret sauce: Can you invoke wonder?
Have your readers surrender to wonder.
The best stories infuse wonder.
The first story lesson I ever learned: Use what you know. Draw from it.
Capture the truth from your experiences, expressing values you feel deep in your core.
