Why Storytelling Matters

There's a line on my writing website that states, "Everyone has a story to tell." I truly believe that. Each of us has a unique background, perspective, experience—and sharing that story with others is the key to building relationships and exchanging information.

In practically every writing workshop I've participated in, we've talked about the idea "Show; don't tell." If a writer can show how or why something happened, the reader can better understand what's being described. A person or character is no longer a description; that person becomes a living being.

When I come across small businesses online, I always love to read their stories. Reading a bunch of "marketing speak" isn't fulfilling in those cases. Finding out why people started their businesses, where they come from, and what they believe in means more than a list of product features or a bunch of fancy titles.

Back when I worked at a media agency, we would sometimes build presentations like a story. We would give specific examples, weave together qualitative and quantitative information, describe a person who represented our target audience (with a name and everything!), and structure our presentation to reflect our process and tell a story.

In each of these examples above, stories make connections. Stories draw people in and allow us to explore something deeper and more meaningful.

If you want to learn more about storytelling, you're in luck! Sarah and I will be delving into the topic of storytelling this month in our Create.Compose.Communicate newsletters. Whether you write for work, on your blog, or in your journal, we have some great information and inspiration to share.

Sign up here if you haven't already! The first newsletter of the month goes out tomorrow (Thursday).

Check out Sarah's blog, Inspiration-Driven Life, for her thoughts on storytelling.