Earnest Hemingway made a wager his writing friends, “I bet ten bucks I can tell a story in only 6 words.”
So the lore goes, “You’re on!” they urged him.
He took a small breath and said, “For Sale: Baby shoes. Never worn.”
Did Hemingway really win the bet?
Is that a story?
And if so, what makes it a story?
When I think of a classic story, my mind goes to fairytales.
They all begin with “Once upon a time…” and end with, “… and happily ever after.”
Fairytales tend to follow The Heroes Journey made popular by Joseph Campbell.
Put simply, our hero is called to adventure and departs their normal life (act 1), in the journey she meet a guide, faces off against a villain to overcome a massive hurdle (act 2) which eventually leads to a transformation and getting her big reward (act 3).
(why did I think of Shrek while writing that when I haven’t thought of Shrek in years? (Shrek slays the dragon and ends up with Fiona, the princess (did a movie come to mind for you? reply and let me know)))
I believe this way of viewing stories causes two challenges (myths, if you will) for new storytellers which I would like to dispel in this article.
Myth 1: Transformation
I used to believe in order for a story to be a story, there must be a transformation.
Why tell a story at all if you’re not going to offer a take away or lesson to your audience?
Then I thought about one of my favorite stories The Road by Cormac McCarthy.
[SPOILER ALERT]
We follow a man and a boy in a post-apocalyptic world.
The atmosphere is destroyed (we never find out why) and the air is forever a grey haze in which the sun will never touch earths surface again.
The man and boy are heading to the ocean. Hope that there, things may be different.
They finally reach the ocean by the end of the book and the world is the same.
The man’s hope for something better dies and so does he, leaving the boy with his next care taker.
That’s how the book ends.
The book begins in gloom, ends in gloom and leaves you in gloom.
It’s one of those books where you close the final page, glued to your seat unable to move, let out a deep sigh and quietly whisper, “what the fuck…”
It’s why some people hate the book (no fairytale ending for you!).
It’s the reason I love it. I read the book twice. The first time was over a decade ago and I never forgot it which is why I had to re-read it.
To me, that’s the sign of a great story; not being able to get it out of your mind and needing to hear it again.
And despite McCarthy leaving us with no better world, no transformation, it’s so obviously a story.
It won a Pulitzer Prize after all!
So what really makes a story?
Let’s read Hemingway’s 6-word story again.
For Sale: Baby shoes. Never worn.
What is happening to you when you read that?
You feel something, don’t you?
Sadness. Grief. Dread.
That is it.
That is the only ingredient you need to tell a great story.
Make your audience feel something.
Now you have the core ingredient to tell a great story and if you can just do that, people will remember you.
However, you are not here to simply be remembered as a great storyteller. You want to awaken change in others. So we must add one more ingredient to the stories you tell.
Myth 2: Emphasis on the Tangible Reward
The myth you tell yourself is: the story my audience wants to hear is only worth telling if I have the perfect wedding, hit $10k months, become CEO, or reach 100,000 followers.
You attach too much worth to the tangible reward.
In devastating fashion, you may attach all your worth to the tangible reward.
Why?
Maybe Hollywood is to blame, maybe it’s capitalism, maybe it’s simply the universal plight of being human.
You have to ask yourself, what makes these tangible rewards so great after all?
If I am Luke Skywalker telling you my story, am I offering you my medal of honor because I destroyed the Death Star?
If I’m Red (Morgan Freeman in Shawshank Redemption), am I giving you parole from a life sentence in prison?
If I’m Simba, am I making you king of the jungle?
The tangible accomplishments of our hero’s are simply external symbols we can attach to so that we can immerse ourselves in the internal experience (which is the universal experience).
Our hero’s story exist to mirror what is inside of us and the evolution of becoming who we desire to become.
Luke Skywalker isn’t afraid of failure, but who he may become if he truly steps into his power: his evil father. The story is how he over came this internal battle. The destruction of the Death Star is the external reward for becoming a new man.
Red believed he would always be the man who murdered his wife. He was resigned to life in prison and believed any hope beyond that was dangerous. “I’m institutionalized.” He clings to this identity. But then he changes. He saw the power in having hope through his 19 year relationship with Andy Dufresne. Hope not only lead to his eventual parole, but helped him live a life outside of prison and build something new and better. That’s the story. You can change and you can live for more.
Simba runs from the tremendous guilt over his father’s death and avoids his bigger responsibilities and purpose in life. Rafiki says, “remembaahhhhhhh” and so he does. Only by facing his past, remembering who he is, can he finally process the pain and step into his true purpose. That’s the story.
The core piece to telling a beautiful story that awakens change in others is to emphasize the internal change, not the tangible reward.
That is what all humans can universally relate to.
That internal battle is what creates emotion.
That emotion is what we remember.
That emotion is what leads to change.
This is all for you anyway
Where we had thought to. find abomination, we shall find god; where we had thought to slay another, we shall slay ourselves; where we had thought to travel outward, we shall come to the center of our own existence; where we had thought to be alone, we shall be with all the world.” — A Hero With a Thousand Face by Joseph Campbell
The journey is always inward first. Face the shadows and rediscover yourself as god, the almighty loving being who has zero doubts about their place in the world.
Then you may offer your lessons to the world.
The great struggle you probably face when sharing your stories is trying to write it for THEM first when you haven’t written it for yourself first.
The more stories you tell for yourself, the more you fall in love with the everlasting battle of duality.
Yes, I want to make a million dollars this year, and I know I’m here to love the journey.
You tell yourself, “I know, I know. It’s all about the journey. Being present. Loving the hard times just as much as the great times,” but you don’t really know it. You only believe it.
Intellectualizing the idea is not the same as experiencing it. Embodying it.
When it’s July 20th and you’re having your worst month in sales and you’re laying in bed with cold sweats and life seems to be falling apart all around you and you actually lay there and smile knowing you’re in the middle of the worst of it but this is life. This is what it means to be human. I love that I get to feel all of this because when I come back from this, it’s gonna be so sweet.
Not pretending to be grateful in the midst of pain, but actually feeling the gratitude shiver down your spine.
That is what storytelling offers you. That’s the true gift.
Once you have done that for yourself, you have truly beautiful story to tell the world.
With love,
Matt
PS — I’m back on IG after my 34 day break. I am super excited about realigning myself to my meaningful work. If you didn’t notice, the header of this email changed last week. “Live a full life. Tell beautiful stories. Awaken change in others.” This is what Storyliving means. Life outside work is just as important as the meaningful work we do in our business. In fact, it is the best source for creating your best work!
PPS — I am in the process of revamping my free 7-day storytelling course and turning that into a one month live coaching program in the new year (thinking like $100-200).
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