Storytelling Made Easy: Persuade and Transform Your Audiences, Buyers, and Clients — Simply, Quickly, and Profitably

on the art, craft and business of storytelling.

The Setup

What did your hero do on a day-to-day basis before she encountered you or your product? In what ways was she unhappy, unsatisfied, or unfulfilled? And what effect did this situation have on her health, her family, her business, her psyche, or her hopes for the future?

My mentor, Art Arthur, who was a successful movie and TV writer for more than fifty years, lived by this motto: Don’t get it right—get it written. The goal of your first draft is not to achieve perfection. It’s to get something onto the page so you can begin building your story. Start by simply listing everything you’ve learned about your hero’s ex

The Aftermath

you must first show this hero’s before picture—her life prior to beginning that pursuit.

Saying, “Charles was discouraged,” reveals your interpretation of what was going on. But saying, “Every morning Charles crawled out of bed and put his feet on the threadbare carpet, wondering if this would be the day that his life might change,” allows readers to draw their own conclusions.