If you want to learn how to tell a great story that connects with readers, you need more than creativity alone. Great storytelling combines strong structure, a clear and focused message, and authentic personal experience. When these elements work together, your stories become more engaging, relatable, and memorable.
Are You Using the 5 Cs of Great Storytelling?
Successful writers will tell you there are always certain components to a successful story. They will also tell you that rules are made to be broken. That means it won’t necessarily be a flop if your story doesn’t have the components we’re about to discuss. You can still tell great stories if you miss one or two of the following pieces. You’re just making the job more difficult on yourself.
It would be best to have the following five C’s in your story most of the time.
- Circumstances
- Conflict
- Crisis
- Climax
- Conclusion
To paint a clear picture, let’s use the Cinderella fairytale.
Cinderella has a pitiful life with her evil stepsisters and stepmother, who constantly harass her. She receives an invitation to the royal ball. Alas, she has nothing to wear and no way to get to the ball. Her fairy godmother appears and supplies her with a dress and a coach to transport her.
Cinderella is told she must be back home before midnight. She goes to the ball, the Prince falls in love with her, then midnight strikes, and she’s back to her less-than-enviable life. She loses a shoe at the ball, and the Prince finds it. He tries it on the feet of the women in his kingdom and eventually finds Cinderella. They live happily ever after.
Circumstances
Cinderella has a difficult life cleaning for her stepmother and stepsisters, and they constantly bully and mistreat her.
Conflict
She is ecstatic that she received an invitation to the royal ball but has nothing to wear. And if she did have a suitable gown, how would she get to the ball?
Crisis
She’s having the time of her life but has to leave the Prince before midnight strikes, and he discovers who she really is.
Climax
The Prince finds her, and she once again has hopes for a great life.
Conclusion
They live happily ever after.
As you can see, if you had those five components figured out, then you would only need to flesh out the story. If you can create your five C’s before you begin writing your story, filling in the blanks is simple. You’re providing yourself an outline that’s been proven to engage your audience and compel them to keep on reading. Use the five C’s of crafting a story, and your storytelling ability will grow.
Great Storytellers Always Have a Clear and Defined Message
When you finish a great book, you know what happened. That might sound silly, but not all books do this. When preparing speeches or attempting to write the next great novel, they don’t always stick to a main message, lesson, or theme. They try to include too much.
Better stories start out with a definite idea in mind. You know what you’re moving towards. You have an idea; even if you don’t know how your story will end, you know where it’s heading.
This is true of fiction, nonfiction, stories that teach morals, and humorous content. You want to be crystal clear on the central theme. You want your plot to be evident, and once your story kicks into high gear, it shouldn’t move from its focus.
Learn This Lesson from “The Old Man and the Sea”
Ernest Hemingway’s short novel, “The Old Man and the Sea,” was his last major work of fiction. It was published in 1952, earning him the 1953 Pulitzer Prize for fiction. Some claim it to be the legendary author’s most important work, and if you want a lesson in great storytelling, definitely read it.
It works partly because it never wavers from a simple but clearly defined plot. It’s not confusing. There isn’t a lot going on. There are only two main human characters and a third important character, an 18-foot-blue marlin. That’s it. Other characters make very small appearances, but basically, these three characters are the entire book.
The basic plot of the story is clear and simple. An old fisherman who hasn’t caught anything worthwhile in a long time struggles to catch a Marlin of massive proportions. He battles the fish, weather, sharks, and cuts to his hand but never gives up.
That’s the story’s basic plot- and Hemingway sticks to it.
Keep Your Plot Simple and Clear
The message or lesson of the story is that if you want to accomplish something, you should never give up, no matter what gets in your way. The plot is also simple and crystal-clear. You have a fisherman in a boat and a fish he’s trying to catch. That’s the gist of it.
Getting into the story is easy because you aren’t distracted by unnecessary characters and subplots. Remember, you’ll tell better stories with a clearly defined and simple plot that your readers can easily follow.
If You Want to Tell a Better Story, Just Look in the Mirror
People have been telling stories for a long time. Your earliest human ancestors told stories to pass on knowledge. They used them as a way to understand their surroundings and their lives. Stories are proven to convey a message, teach a lesson or pass on information and history.
You might want to teach your children a life lesson. Maybe you want them to stop leaving their rooms messy or to get better at doing their other chores. Perhaps you have a presentation you have to give at work. Maybe you’re writing for pleasure or for a living. Write a new article about How to Write a Good Article in One Easy Lesson.
In all these cases, you need to look no further than the mirror to write a great story.
What Story Are You Trying to Tell?
You might be telling a story that has little relevance to your life. Even so, you’ll be able to take your own life experiences and weave them into the story. This makes your content relatable. Your audience can identify with you as a real person, even if the story you’re telling has unbelievable characters.
Look in the mirror. Look at yourself and your successes and failures. What personal experiences have you had that you can include in some way in the story you’re trying to tell? Look to your life for inspiration and ideas for new stories and make any story more human.
Incidentally, this works with fiction and nonfiction alike. It works best when you create a narrative from your personal experiences. Don’t be shy about painting yourself as an imperfect person. That’s what other people will relate to. Please talk about your failings, your conflict, and how you overcame it.
Does Your Audience Know You Very Well?
If your readers or listeners know something about you, mention it. This is another way to make your story carry weight. You are connecting with your audience. Again, you don’t personally have to be a character in your story or your message. You add positive and negative life experiences to give your content a feeling of reality.
Whether your audience knows you or not, try to turn your life’s lessons into narratives. Make these lessons into stories in and of themselves. Then tie them into the central theme or major plot of your bigger story.
This makes you more relatable and real to your audience. It also means quicker and easier writing because you’re working from a place of experience and familiarity.
Great Storytellers Always Have a Clear and Defined Message
When you finish a great book, you know what happened. That might sound silly, but not all books do this. When preparing speeches or attempting to write the next great novel, they don’t always stick to a main message, lesson, or theme. They try to include too much.
Better stories start out with a definite idea in mind. You know what you’re moving towards. You have an idea; even if you don’t know how your story will end, you know where it’s heading.
This is true of fiction, nonfiction, stories that teach morals, and humorous content. You want to be crystal clear on the central theme. You want your plot to be evident, and once your story kicks into high gear, it shouldn’t move from its focus.
Learn This Lesson from “The Old Man and the Sea”
Ernest Hemingway’s short novel, “The Old Man and the Sea,” was his last major work of fiction. It was published in 1952, earning him the 1953 Pulitzer Prize for fiction. Some claim it to be the legendary author’s most important work, and if you want a lesson in great storytelling, definitely read it.
It works partly because it never wavers from a simple but clearly defined plot. It’s not confusing. There isn’t a lot going on. There are only two main human characters and a third important character, an 18-foot-blue marlin. That’s it. Other characters make very small appearances, but basically, these three characters are the entire book.
The basic plot of the story is clear and simple. An old fisherman who hasn’t caught anything worthwhile in a long time struggles to catch a Marlin of massive proportions. He battles the fish, weather, sharks, and cuts to his hand but never gives up.
That’s the story’s basic plot- and Hemingway sticks to it.
Keep Your Plot Simple and Clear
The message or lesson of the story is that if you want to accomplish something, you should never give up, no matter what gets in your way. The plot is also simple and crystal-clear. You have a fisherman in a boat and a fish he’s trying to catch. That’s the gist of it.
Getting into the story is easy because you aren’t distracted by unnecessary characters and subplots. Remember, you’ll tell better stories with a clearly defined and simple plot that your readers can easily follow.
If You Want to Tell a Better Story, Just Look in the Mirror
People have been telling stories for a long time. Your earliest human ancestors told stories to pass on knowledge. They used them as a way to understand their surroundings and their lives. Stories are proven to convey a message, teach a lesson or pass on information and history.
You might want to teach your children a life lesson. Maybe you want them to stop leaving their rooms messy or to get better at doing their other chores. Perhaps you have a presentation you have to give at work. Maybe you’re writing for pleasure or for a living.
In all these cases, you need to look no further than the mirror to write a great story.
What Story Are You Trying to Tell?
You might be telling a story that has little relevance to your life. Even so, you’ll be able to take your own life experiences and weave them into the story. This makes your content relatable. Your audience can identify with you as a real person, even if the story you’re telling has unbelievable characters.
Look in the mirror. Look at yourself and your successes and failures. What personal experiences have you had that you can include in some way in the story you’re trying to tell? Look to your life for inspiration and ideas for new stories and make any story more human.
Incidentally, this works with fiction and nonfiction alike. It works best when you create a narrative from your personal experiences. Don’t be shy about painting yourself as an imperfect person. That’s what other people will relate to. Please talk about your failings, your conflict, and how you overcame it.
Does Your Audience Know You Very Well?
If your readers or listeners know something about you, mention it. This is another way to make your story carry weight. You are connecting with your audience. Again, you don’t personally have to be a character in your story or your message. You add positive and negative life experiences to give your content a feeling of reality.
Whether your audience knows you or not, try to turn your life’s lessons into narratives. Make these lessons into stories in and of themselves. Then tie them into the central theme or major plot of your bigger story.
This makes you more relatable and real to your audience. It also means quicker and easier writing because you’re working from a place of experience and familiarity.