As I mentioned last post, Rena and I are getting close to finishing our book. I’m continuing to write about the things I learned while writing a book. Today it’s about the power of stories.
We had sent out our manuscript to several folks to review and were waiting anxiously for their feedback when these reviews finally started flowing in. There were lots of positive comments, but two of them made us rethink several chapters of the book.
These comments were, “I just couldn’t get through it,” and, “If it wasn’t from you guys, I would have not gotten past the first few chapters. The rest of it was awesome. Once I got past the beginning chapters, I couldn’t put it down.”
We had started our book with lots of explanation and reasons for the topic about which we are writing. But this stuff didn’t hold people’s attention. We needed something that would grab people.
That’s when we remembered some of the things we read in a book by the Heath brothers called, “Made To Stick.” We decided that our book needed some good stories, especially in those beginning chapters.
Stories are all around us. We get stories on TV, at the movies, in books, in the news and in advertising. And we love stories. There’s nothing like a story to draw us in. This is what makes stories so great for communicating ideas.
Consider:
To keep your dog from being hit by a car, it’s best to keep your dog on a leash.
vs
I walked out to my car one chilly morning, balancing my coffee cup on some notebooks in one hand while juggling my keys in the other. Finally, with the notebooks in the passenger seat and the coffee in the cup holder, I backed out of my driveway, and headed to work.
I was almost out of my neighborhood, when a little terrier dog ran out from behind a parked car right under my right front tire. I stopped the car, and got out to look. There was nothing that could be done. The dog was already dead. I felt terrible. I kept thinking about my dog, Princess, at home.
But I learned a valuable lesson that day. To keep my dog safe, I should keep it on a leash when it’s outside.
Which one draws you in more? Which one are you more likely to remember? My guess is it’s the story.
In the process of writing our book, we learned that stories are a great tool for communication. Being an effective communicator is helpful in all walks of life, especially when living our calling.
What about you? What have found to be the best way to get an idea across?
