Storytelling
Is storytelling the most valuable skill anyone can possess?
People have a primal need to play a part in a great story, they key is finding the role you were born to play.
The greatest thing by far is to be a master of metaphor; it is the one thing that cannot be learnt from others; and it is also a sign of genius, since a good metaphor implies an intuitive perception of the similarity in the dissimilar - Aristotle
The Hero's Journey
Across human civilisation there are common story arcs of the hero with a 1000 faces that retell the journey human experience of discovering purpose and meaning by overcoming obstacles.
What are the central progress journeys that shape technology, perspectives and archetypes that interpret reality?
- Rags to Riches (rise)
- Riches to Rags (fall)
- Man in a Hole (fall then rise)
- Icarus / Freytag's Pyramid (rise then fall)
- Cinderella (rise then fall then rise)
- Oedipus (fall then rise then fall)
Recognise the everyday hero.
Memes
Identity markers that act as schelling points.
Memes need to belong to wider story arcs.
Practice
Write to seek the truth and write with an authentic voice.
Write one true sentence each day - Hemingway
Storyworthy
Apply the five second rule that identifies moments that alter life's trajectory.
Marketing
The strongest brands compete on emotion.
Sell stories that trigger emotions and capture the imagination.