Two Things The Most Effective Stories Do

Two Things The Most Effective Stories Do

This quote really jumped out to me the other day:

“This may be the ultimate sign of an incredible book: when the author articulates something you feel so acutely in your own heart, but haven’t been able to clearly express or truly grasp.”

– Margarita Tartakovsky, PsychCentral (quote in from of praise for You Can Do All Things by Kate Allan)

Tartakovsky is spot on. As you know, I feel that one of our main jobs as storytellers is to help people feel seen. When you can do that, AND help people see things with fresh eyes, you have a recipe for some pretty powerful transformation.

The people who are likely going to stick with you through thick and thin — the most loyal readers, customers, clients, followers, and so on — are likely going to be people for whom you’ve done two things:

  • helped them feel seen in a way they haven’t before. (“OMG, I’m not the only one? They get it too? I feel so seeeen!”)
  • helped them think differently about that very thing that’s making them feel seen. (“Woah, I never thought about it like that before, but it’s so true!”)

A good place to start is to consider the people who have done this for you in your own life. In my case, a number of mentors, teachers, authors, and friends come to mind. The doctor who told me "there are no don'ts". And my designer friend Michael who represented my experience of living with a pacemaker in a whole new way.

This kind of synergystic magic is not an easy thing to achieve. I don’t expect you to read this and snap your fingers and immediately produce this result.

Rather, I’m sharing it with you as something to strive for. Embrace the process (because it’s a lifelong one). Seek to get to know the people you want to serve in a better and more meaningful way. Deepen your own thinking about the topics you want to explore. Be willing to get a bit vulnerable, share your experiences, go out on a limb once in a while.

There are no shortcuts. It's a long journey. But by taking it, I promise you can light the path for someone else.