How to Tell a Good StoryBecause boring stories suck

Every Story Needs• Stakes

• Conflict

• Escalation

• A shift between positive and negative charges

plus this freakin’ guy

STAKES

What’s the worst that could happen?

Just missing out on true love

Sent to Purina Factory

Commies take over entire free world

CONFLICT

Things were terrible and then they turned out wonderful = Happy Ending

Things were wonderful and then they turned out terrible = Sad Ending

>emo sob!<

Conflict moves the story between positive and negative poles

ESCALATION

One Ringwraith

Multiple Ringwraiths on Horses!

Ringwraiths on Fu*#^ing

Dragons!?!

Every Story is Better With…

• A great villain

• A little exaggeration

• Telling details

• The gap

A GREAT VILLAIN

A LITTLE EXAGGERATION

“Everything I’m about to tell you is true. And some of it even happened.”

Click icon to add pictureTELLING DETAIL

“He was the kind of guy who never asked if he could have the last beer. He just took it.”

The Gap

“The gap is the point where the subjective and the objective realms collide, the difference between anticipation and result, between the world as the character perceived it before acting and the truth he discovers in action.” –Robert McKee

“Luke, I am your father.”

“What’s in the box?”

“You’re a wizard Harry.”

So What?

• Stakes:• Tell em what they stand to lose

• Conflict:• Tell em what challenges we faced in

getting where we are today.

• Escalation:• Tell em how it got harder and harder, but

we persevered.

So What? • Villains:

• What stood in our way? How did we work around it like heroes?

• Exaggeration:• It’s marketing copy, not a court

deposition.

• Details:• Minutia is boring. Demonstrating vertical

knowledge is enlightening.

• The Gap:• Show em something they didn’t expect.

Two Content Layout with Table• First bullet point here

• Second bullet point here

• Third bullet point here

Group A Group B

Class 1 82 95

Class 2 76 88

Class 3 84 90

Blue Crush

is the best story ever.

Make it like that.

The End.