Telling Great Stories by Diana B. Henriques

Telling Great Stories The repor(ng is done. The facts are checked. The thesis is solid and important. Now: You want folks to actually read this?

What we’ll cover: •  Using facts appropriately •  Repor(ng for great storytelling •  Using human nature to hold your reader •  Drawing lessons from potboilers and the silver screen

First, let’s do a reality check… Given X amount of (me to report and write a story, what percentage of (me would you devote to repor(ng? Photo by Flickr user U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service – Northeast Region

Using facts appropriately The Goldilocks Rule: Not too many facts, Not too few facts

Every story has a burden of proof “Cap(ve Clientele: Part One”

The “CapEve Clientele” thesis •  Several financial services companies or their agents are using ques(onable tac(cs on military bases to sell insurance and investments that may not fit the needs of people in uniform...The Pentagon has been aware of prac(ces like these since the Vietnam War; inves(ga(ons have even cited specific companies and agents. But because of industry lobbying, Congressional pressure, weak enforcement and the Pentagon’s ineffec(ve oversight, almost no ac(on has been taken.

Diana’s Rule #1 Use all the facts required to meet your burden of proof – and not one fact more!

Poll QuesEon #1: Which fact is not needed to meet the burden of proof in “Cap(ve Clientele”?

Ouch. The editor says cut the story… What could be eliminated from the “Cap(ve Clientele” thesis to reduce my burden of proof so I could cut the Photo by Flickr user Victor1558 story?

“CapEve Clientele” thesis I could eliminate the reference to the Pentagon’s prior knowledge... Several financial services companies or their agents are using ques(onable tac(cs on military bases to sell insurance and investments that may not fit the needs of people in uniform… But because of industry lobbying, Congressional pressure, weak enforcement and the Pentagon’s ineffec(ve oversight, almost no ac(on has been taken.

“CapEve Clientele” thesis …Or I could eliminate any reference to "investments" … Several financial services companies or their agents are using ques(onable tac(cs on military bases to sell insurance… that may not fit the needs of people in uniform… But because of industry lobbying, Congressional pressure, weak enforcement and the Pentagon’s ineffec(ve oversight, almost no ac(on has been taken.

“CapEve Clientele” thesis …Or I could cut the reasons “why almost no ac(on has been taken”… Several financial services companies or their agents are using ques(onable tac(cs on military bases to sell insurance and investments that may not fit the needs of people in uniform... The Pentagon has been aware of prac(ces like these since the Vietnam War; inves(ga(ons have even cited specific companies and agents. But … almost no ac(on has been taken.

Remember, it’s a balancing act The length of a story is determined by your burden of proof. To cut a story’s length, you must scale back what you try to prove in that story.

Diana’s Rule #2 You cannot cut the story; you can only reduce your burden of proof.

Diana’s Rule #3 If you use every inch of space to meet your burden of proof, you’ll win your argument. But youll lose your reader!

How “CapEve Clientele” began Nicholas Stachler was 19 years old when he reported for basic training with the Army at Fort Benning, Ga., before shipping out for 11 months to Iraq. A gentle, trus(ng man, he had only weeks earlier graduated from high school with a handful of trophies in hockey and soccer, middling grades and hardly a clue about how to handle his money. He had held only casual jobs baby-‐si^ng and mowing lawns and had never opened a checking account. The bus trip to boot camp, from the foothills of the Appalachians in southern Ohio to the kudzu-‐covered fields of western Georgia, took him farther from home than he had ever been. About six weeks into his training -‐-‐ six weeks of combat drills and drummed-‐in lessons in Army ways -‐-‐ he tasted one of the less-‐honorable tradi(ons of military life: a compulsory classroom briefing on personal finance that was a life insurance sales pitch in disguise...

How did you feel about Nicholas Stachler? Let’s compare notes: In a word or two, share your impressions of this young recruit. Nicholas is on the left.

ReporEng for great storytelling Photo by Flickr user sskennel

Let’s brainstorm In one or two words, what facts best help bring a character to life? Photo by Flickr user lateda

Report with all ﬁve senses

How did it make you feel? Why?

To reconstruct the past,... Photo by Flickr user Laineys Repertoire …try the Internet!

Was it rainy? Torrid? Balmy? hcp://www.wunderground.com/history/

Which gives us... Photo by Flickr user eoringel “The day Bernie Madoﬀ was arrested in Manhacan, the weather was perfect in Palm Beach -‐-‐ ground zero for thousands of his vic(ms...”

What do they look like? What were they wearing? U.S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoﬀ hcp://images.google.com/

How do they sound and behave? “Yeah, It’s Fun Being a Billionaire” -‐-‐ interview on CNBC found on YouTube.com

And what did it look like where that arrest took place? www.earth.google.com

Gathering color a^er the fact •  Tour the scenes yourself. •  Ask for family albums, yearbooks, home video, conven(on photos, etc. •  Talk to those who were there – using photos and headlines as memory “prompts.” Photo by Flickr user Arbron •  Retrace a character’s steps.

Using human nature to hold your reader Photo by Flickr user Saul Adereth

Poll QuesEon #2: In the “Cap(ve Clientele” story, who is Nicholas Stachler?

Diana’s Rule #4 The universal truths of human experience are the bedrock of any great story.

Use archetypal stories What other archetypal stories can you name?

More archetypal stories •  Icarus •  Robin Hood •  King Midas •  Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Photo by Flickr user puuikibeach •  Dr. Faustus •  The Emperor’s New •  Aladdin and the Genie Clothes •  The Frog Prince •  King Lear •  The Ugly Duckling •  The Sorcerer’s •  The Boy Who Cried Wolf Appren(ce •  The Pied Piper •  Snow White •  Beauty and the Beast

Clichés became clichés because… • Pride goeth before a fall. • He was hoisted on his petard. • The pot calling the kecle black. • His Achilles’ heel. Photo by Flickr user hello-‐julie …they rang true and sEll do!

Folklore’s cast of stock characters… The star-‐crossed lovers The fatally ﬂawed hero The femme fatale The man of steel The knight errant The evil wizard Photo by Flickr user Wonderlane

As you prepare to write, ask: In our common cultural heritage, what’s the closest archetypal match to the story you want to tell? Photo by Flickr user Muﬀet

Once you have your answer… •  Keep it as a frame of reference… •  Use it to sort out your characters… •  Iden(fy the core words it brings to mind… •  Use it to give your story a familiar shape… •  But proceed with cau(on before you make a direct reference to this archetype!

Poll QuesEon #3: The Bernie Madoﬀ story most strongly brings to mind…

Poll QuesEon #4: JP Morgan Chase used a risk-‐reducing strategy that wound up cos(ng the bank billions. Which archetypal reference does that story bring to mind?

Learning from potboilers and the silver screen Photo by Silicon Prairie News

Diana’s Rule #5 To learn great storytelling, study great storytellers.

My favorite screenwriEng guides • By Christopher Vogler: • By Blake Snyder: The Writer’s Journey: Save the Cat series Mythic Structure for Writers, Third Edi(on What wri5ng guides do you love?

Six QuesEons to Ask Yourself Before You Type That Anecdotal Lead resources More wri(ng are in the handout. http://www.newsthinking.com/six-questions-to-ask-yourself-before-you-type-that-anecdotal-lead/

My favorite pace cars for storytelling • Robert Crais, “Elvis Cole” series • Lee Child, “Jack Reacher” novels • Anything by Stephen King Photo by Flickr user msbhaven

Remember Diana’s Rules 1.  Use all the facts required to meet your burden of proof -‐ but not one fact more! 2.  You cannot cut the story; you can only reduce your burden of proof. 3.  If you use every inch to meet your burden of proof, you’ll win your argument. But youll lose your reader! 4.  The universal truths of human experience are the bedrock of a good story. 5.  To learn great storytelling, study great storytellers.

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Telling Great Stories by Diana B. Henriques

by Reynolds Center for Business Journalism on Aug 10, 2012

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Telling Great Stories by Diana B. Henriques Presentation Transcript