Lithgow on Storytelling

Actor John Lithgow muses about art and the essence of storytelling in his new one man show, "John Lithgow: Stories by Heart."

Status Stories

Brand stories are powerful. Creating a real world story where a product saves the day or puts a smile on someone's face is all the rage these days. But there's another approach that's even more effective. Instead of a company telling it's story to the customer, wouldn't it be better if they helped customers tell a story to other customers? Not to promote the brand, but to make those customers more interesting to others.

Status Stories do just that.

The folks at Trendwatching talk about this idea in detail. Here are a few highlights.

The definition of a Status Story: As more brands (have to) go niche and therefore tell stories that aren't known to the masses, and as experiences and non-consumption-related expenditures take over from physical (and more visible) status symbols, consumers will increasingly have to tell each other stories to achieve a status dividend from their purchases.

In other words, before brands would tell the story. But now, brands help consumers tell status-enhancing stories to other consumers. Why does this work?

Because people want to be unique. In the days of yesteryear, people were "keeping up with the Joneses." But now, we don't want to be like the Joneses. We want to be unique. We want something the Joneses DON'T have.

Like highly individualized things such as My Kleenex tissue that lets you put photos on your box of tissues. The slogan? "Let out your creative juices." Too funny.

Once again, this is not about brands telling their story to the masses, but helping individuals to tell stories themselves involving the brands they use.

Enter the NOLAF Zone!

Our friends at Mekanism created ridiculously "anti-fun" site for the National Organization for Legislation Against Fun (NOLAF). Notice how Tostitos make their way into almost every scene.

Mmmmmm...Tostitos and cheese dip...

Storytelling Secrets of Aristotle

Aristotle, what a renaissance man. He was the first to create a comprehensive system of philosophy. He was a reknown expert in morality and aesthetics, logic and science, politics and metaphysics. His views on the physical sciences profoundly shaped thoughts during his time around 2,500 years ago. In the biological sciences, some of his observations were only confirmed to be accurate in the nineteenth century. Wow, what a body of work. Aristotle, I'm jealous dude. I wish I was that knowledgeable, But then, he didn't have distractions such as American Idol two nights a week either.

I really do have mad respect for Aristotle for all of his previously mentioned accomplishments. But did you know he was an expert at writing as well? Go figure.

All narrative writers should own a copy of Aristotle's The Poetics. It's a thin book that details THE rules to master the art of writing stories. Even today, this book is held up as the standard in contemporary fiction, drama, and screenwriting. If you're aspiring to write stories, save yourself a lot of time and money by getting this book and studying it.

Here are a few gems from the book.

1. All stories are made up of five elements: setting, character, plot, dialogue, and thought (a character's intention or motivation).

When all five of these elements work together in the proper proportions, you have a great story.

2. Plot is everything.

People these days might disagree here, but Aristotle is adamant about plot. He says, "The first essential, the life and the soul, so to speak, of story, is the plot."

3. Well-rounded and "appropriate" characters

Aristotle wrote about four aspects that every character needs developed. First, they must have some redeeming quality (positive or negative) that wins the respect of the audience. Second, these qualities must make sense based on the characters personality. THird, the character must be "believable" and "realistic." and fourth, a character should always remain consistent in their persona.

4. Keep readers hooked with "reversals"

Changes in the story from one state to the opposite state. Content / Sad / Mad / Content again.

5. Use of discoveries

Aristotle knew way back then that audiences love those moments where their hero learns something about themselves, or about another, that has a major impact on the direction of the story.

Strategies for Fluent Writing

1. Set a DAILY writing routine

Fluent writers prefer morning. The key is to set a habit of writing every day at a certain time. Try not to skip a day. Develop some momentum, and after a week of daily writing, you'll have a substantial amount of work done. Not a day should go by without a line.

2. Stay positive

Purge your mind of words like "procrastination" or writer's block." If you don't feel inspired, write about not feeling inspired. Or better yet, write about something that inspires you. Once again, just keep churning away, get that writing muscle in shape. Accomplishment has a tendency to make you feel good about yourself. 

3. Organize and prioritize

If you're anything like me, you have too many ideas floating around in your head. It's important to "clear the table" so you can focus on one thing at a time. Eliminate every distraction and dive in.

4. Always carry a notebook

A funny conversation overheard, an illuminating insight, a story idea--Life is in the details, so always carry a pen and notebook to record those wonderful moments presented to us.

5. Write the way you talk

This is the same as "write in your own voice." Writing should be invigorating, so just write as if you're talking to your best friend. Heartfelt, open, honest, YOU.

6. Don't wait to be inspired.

The muse is fickle, don't wait around for her to show up. Just turn on the machine and start churning away. The act of writing seems to attract her anyway.

7. Write with music playing

The only way to write with emotion is if you feel the emotion as you're writing. If music helps you tap into a more emotional state, then you should create a playlist for your writing time.

8. Simple is better

Be concise with your writing. People tend to remember and resonate with easily understandable concepts. As George Orwell says, "Never use a long word when a short one will do."

9. Always be honest

You'll find it much easier to write when it's flowing from your heart. Try writing about something you don't care about, and that's when writer's block suddenly appears. Write to make meaning in the universe, to touch and transform another, to create in reality that part of you that's beautiful and true.

10. Get inspired

Listen to music. Watch how kids play. Do something nice for a stranger. Good feelings leads to inspiration which leads to open mindedness which leads to higher creativity which leads to great writing.

Storytelling: Adapt or Die

Charles Darwin once said:

"It's not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, it is the one most adaptable to change."

It gets me thinking about the age of information we're living in. We're really in the midst of an "adapt" or be left behind in a cloud of dust. There's always the option of checking out of the modern world, but then you're looked upon as a new ager, a hippie, or at worst, a bum. I want to hang on for as long as possible. Not only that, but I choose to work hard to be at the forefront of things. Not everything of course. I'm not THAT smart. Just walking through Macworld Exhibit Hall, or the Ad Tech version I'm going to this week, completely zaps my strength. I love all the new techie stuff, but my brain fills up so fast and I become so mentally and physically exhausted that after about 30 minutes, I start looking around for an empty Exhibit Booth I can sneak in for a quick nap.

So I choose one aspect of this gigantic information typhoon we are being swept around in. It's storytelling. Not very technical, I know, but you watch enough You Tube videos and TV shows and advertisements and you realize that there is a great need for people who know how to craft a heartfelt story.

This world is moving way too fast, and we need new fablemakers to make sense of it all. The need for storytellers is, in my opinion, at an all-time high. In years past, we needed storytellers to record history. Prehistoric man painted scenes on cave walls. Mayans and Egyptians told stories through hieroglyphic symbols. Biblical writers scribbled in scrolls. Shakespeare wrote with a quill dipped in ink, and modern day storytellers write on a keyboard. As an aside, I recently purchased MacSpeech Dictate so I am experimenting with the dictation of my stories into a Word Document. I'm not much of a typist, so I love it. Plus, it helps me "write in a conversational style." 

Futurist Rolf Jensen talks about the importance of storytelling in his "The Dream Society: How the Coming Shift from Information to Imagination will Transform Your Business."

He says, "In the Information Society, our work has been driven by information technology; in the Dream Society, our work will be driven by stories and emotions, not just by data...Anyone seeking success in the market of the future will have to be a storyteller. The story is the heart of the matter."

But what's his definition of storytelling? Is it ads, movies, TV shows, novels, short stories, stand up comics? He explains...

(We're talking about) "stories about the universe and mankind's place in it, or they may be little everyday stories about who we are and who others are. These stories may be transmitted orally, in written form, through images, in plays or movies, or through the very products we choose to be surrounded by">

Cool interactive video stuff from Arcade Fire

Always ahead of the game with their videos, check out these interactive gems from the band Arcade Fire.

Make the singer juggle, clap his hands, and move around in this interactive music video for their new song/album Neon Bible.

Watch this dark yet alluring interactive video and play around with various tracks of the song. Don't like the drumbeat, click #2 and get rid of it. Be patient though, this one takes a while to load.

Waste of time? Probably. But it's pretty neato if you dig cool music and goofing around with cool graphics.

The Errant Hair

Now that I'm approaching 40, I've got some hairs growing in weird places. My wife found a nice one growing unsuspectedly out of my ear just this morning. According to this website, these are symptoms of my upcoming second puberty.

I love this quirky campaign by Phillips Norelco (makers of the Nose and Ear Hair Trimmer). The writing is silly, and the story is one every "maturing" man can relate to.

On a personal note:

You know, there's something "strange but beautiful" about that rogue hair that sprouts out from the strangest of places. It's like a magical gift from nature, and part of you wants to let it be, even nurture it, just to see how long it can grow. But of course, the wife doesn't understand. She just stares at it and says, "Are you gonna do something about that?" And you want to respond, "Yes, I've decided to let it grow, to let it be all it can be, then, maybe I'll color it candy apple red, or give it some curl, really spruce it up and showcase it." But you don't do that. You end up plucking it out. If its lucky, it ends up in a scrapbook for remembrance and safe keeping. After it's gone, all you can do is look forward to the next interloper that appears from some random pore. The exciting thing is that we have no idea where it will appear. The magic hair could appear anytime, anywhere. Oh and the day you discover it, oh what a day it is. You're disgusted and overjoyed all at once. Nevertheless, you embrace it, and stare in amazement that you could create such a glorious thing. You ponder its existence and think, "this is life." Soon you have to pluck it, but for a moment you experience pure creation, a remarkable hair that overcame all odds and made itself known to the world.

A creative revolution is at hand!

In the latest issue of Creativity Magazine, Nick Law, CCO of R/GA, writes an interesting article about the future of advertising. Here are some excerpts.

"Storytellers will keep coming up with "big ideas" as they've always done, but instead of putting them on TV, they'll figure out a way to "extend" them on the Web."

"You can't divorce the message from the medium (or, in this age of portable personal screens, the medium from the audience). Each time the medium changes, our relationship to the message changes. And in case you haven't noticed, the medium has been changing a lot lately. This has, in turn, complicated advertising."

"The copywriter and art director should now be a part of a flat, flexible, and modular creative team that understands technology and how the customer relates to it."

And in the same issue, Iain Tait, Founding Member and Creative Planner for Poke, London, says:

"Digital anthropologists, people who really understand what cultural change is happening as a result of people adapting to ubiquitous digitalness-will help agencies stay ahead of the game."

My take:

Brands have been telling stories for decades. But something new is happening. The brand stories these days have to be conceptualized not only to the target audience, but to their medium of choice as well. What does this mean? It means the storyteller/copywriter needs to be locked in a room with a technology whiz where they can work on new and inventive ways to express the brand story. Not only that, but they have to create a story line that the customer can interact with. It's not enough to simply tell a entertaining, clever, or funny story anymore. The creative team of the next generation has to welcome the audience into the story through interactive elements, allowing them to be actual characters in the narrative, and at times even giving the them the storytelling pen so they can write their own story about the brands they love.

Five Reasons to Promote Your Organization Through a Story

1. Story is the oldest and most time tested way human learn and remember information.

We all have the story telling instinct within us. We think, feel, and live thru story. As far back as we can remember, we have gathered in community to tell stories of who we are, where we come from, what we believe in, and where we are going.

2. Our evolving global world demands stories to help make sense of it all.

Most corporate communications are flat, alientating and lacking in passion and relevance. Organizations are struggling to stay on purpose and profit. Very few social institutions understand their proper place, power, and role in our emerging global reality.

3. There is an inherent, universal appeal of stories.

Storytelling's contribution cuts across every division, department and domain of the modern organization. Anywhere you have people interacting, relating and communicating with each other, story has a role to play.

4. There is a persuasive appeal of stories.

Good stories are the ultimate form of persuasion. They inspire, influence, reveal, connect, and motivate people to action.

5. Your organization's story = your brand identity.

Identity is forged and promoted through the use of story. The emotional connection to an organization can be strengthened and enhanced through use of the right story line. But more than just dramatics, organizations must learn to embody their stories across everything they do, and shape their culture around the stories they tell the world.

It's all about the STORY

When we meet someone new, we often ask, "So what's your story?" People love stories. They're the universal common denominator. As individuals, we use the basic concepts of stories in our everyday lives ("That's my story and I'm sticking to it..."). But what about organizations or businesses? Should they present themselves to the world through their unique story? Successful ones are all about storytelling. Nike, Whole Foods, Starbucks, all promote legendary stories of where they came from, who they are today, and where they're going.

If done right, storytelling can play a significant role in the success of a business. In the book "What's Your Story? Storytelling to Move Markets, Audiences, People, and Brands," authors Ryan Matthews and Watts Wacker mention that "storytelling has the power to change the destiny of a company, an industry, a nation, and ultimately, the world. It's a force as powerful and universal as gravity."

Or as Robert McKee explains in his best-selling screenwriting book Story, "The storyteller leads us into expectation, makes us think we understand, then cracks open reality, creating surprise and curiosity, sending us back through the story again and again."

Let's give a warm welcome to Oscar Fulford!

I couldn't be more excited to welcome my son Oscar to the world. Give it up for Oscar!!!!!!! (standing ovation in the blogosphere). He was born last Thursday at 8:31 a.m. and has been filling my heart with love and inspiration ever since. He's a big boy, came out 8 pounds, 4 ounces and 20 inches long. That's pretty amazing considering my wife is 5' 1" and about 110 pounds normally. He's got huge hands (that's his hand in the photo above...ok not really) and a kung fu action grip that's far beyond his five days of life. He's got big blue eyes like Mom, fine dark blonde hair, perfect rosy cheeks, and Dad's mouth (those are the early indications, time will tell of course).

Oscar loves to breast feed, kick his legs, snuggle, grasp my fingers, sleep with his arms over his head, smack his lips, stare at bright things, and be swaddled. O Man hates having his diaper changed, being hungry, being awakened when he's not ready, and is fearful of the big, huge, intimidating, engorged left boob of his momma.

At this moment, anything is possible for Oscar. I think he's going to have my wife's smarts, my dogged determination, and both of our wacky and creative sensibilities. We'll encourage him to develop his own gifts though, and to be the man he chooses to be. We'll be there to guide him and cheer him on every step of the way. It's just so exciting to see all of the possibility in this young man. The world is yours Oscar.

V is for Virtualization Sucka!

I write and produce videos for the high tech industry (mostly Cisco), and came across this gem as I was brainstorming for ideas. It's cheeky and absurd, even stupid. But it's a story with zombies, a ruthless and evil "butt-headed" consultant, and a brain-eating Mr. T. Pure brilliance! Get virtualized fool!

Fatherhood Blog? Not this dude.

I've been tempted to focus this blog on my imminent fatherhood, but I refuse to go there. I don't know why really. I guess it's because my interests are all over the place, and I want to be free to write about career stuff (writing, storytelling, creativity) rather than poopy diaper episodes or funny first words or random musings of a newfound perspective on life. Blah.

Today though, I'll simply say that while I'm super excited about being a poppa, I honestly have no freakin clue what I'm going to feel once it happens. I tried to imagine it a little, but I can't comprehend it yet. The baby is due any day now, so the next entry might be from my new perspective as a FATHER (still sounds weird to me). I reserve the right to write at least a little bit about the experience too, but then we'll get back to the regular stuff career stuff about words, phrases, grammar, stories, creativity, observations, etc.

Instead, check out this fatherhood blog.

I see the stork!

The stork is flying overhead, circling our house, carrying a little something in a baby blue blanket. Perhaps it's our daughter? Our son? I really wish the stork would swoop down and drop off the little one. We are so ready to meet this new person.

Short, Short, SHORT Stories or Flash Fiction

As a storyteller, it's important that I keep my narrative muscle in shape. So in between writing assignments and longer fiction works, I write short, short, SHORT stories. They also call this Flash Fiction. These super short stories can be anywhere from one sentence to 100 or so words in length (give or take).

Generally, I get out of bed in the morning, wander over to the computer, and start typing away Flash Fiction style. I try not to read the news of the day or check emails first, and I don't care really what I write about. I just start typing without thinking and see what bubbles to the surface. The goal is to speak directly from the dream world before the busy-ness of life infiltrates the senses. Sometimes I'm amazed at what comes out, other times it's complete crap. Here's a little short story about my lovely wife.

Blonde hair with light streaks. Thick and curly. Long whirligigs fall on either side of her face. Smells like an island spa on a moonlit night. I hold her from behind, spooning, my face nuzzled in the curls. My favorite place in the world, where I wake every morning.

Or another about my upcoming venture into fatherhood.

I'm about to be a father, and with that comes a sense of responsibility and maturity that's been building for awhile. When the child is born, I'll surely cry and realize something within me that's always been there but remained hidden behind the fog of youth. I wonder if my parents, gone for five years now, can see me now.


Check out these sites!

Common Ties is a great site that brings together artists and writers to create amazingly cool picture stories. You can write a story and submit your own art work or just send in a short, short story and they'll pair you up with the right artist. Stories have to be 50 words or less. Try to write a story in 50 words or less. It's frickin hard!!! Forces you to be concise. If you're a fan of this kind of stuff (graphic stories), check out this site.

For the super duper short stories, go to the One Sentence site. One Sentence is about telling your story ever so briefly (in one sentence). Insignificant stories, everyday stories, or turning-point-in-your-life stories, boiled down to their bare essentials. Fun stuff.

I occasionally post my Flash Fiction to these sites. It's fun and keeps that creative muscle flexed. As I like to say (actually I'm saying it for the first time)...NO FLABBY WRITING!!!

Hello Blogospherians!

After a hiatus of several years, I'm returning to the blogosphere. Oh hallelujah. Happy days are here again. My previous blog, For the Love of Pete, was a wacky collection of rants and stories with absolutely no direction whatsoever. There were some moments of brilliance, but you had to really dig through the muck to get there. But oh how I've matured over the last few years. I write better, eat better, think more creatively, sleep more soundly, and live with more passion. How that translates to a more entertaining blog? I don't have a clue.

I do know this much; this blog is different. I'm not sure how exactly because it's an organic thing and will create it's own life. In my former blog I posted long meandering internal ravings from my melon, stream of consciousness babbling that was entertaining only if your were feverish and hopped up on Cough Syrup. No more of that. Well, maybe a little.

It's scary actually. All of the possibilities throughout the universe are swirling around this blog, and I just have to reach up and grab a topic and regurgitate it through my fingers and onto the keyboard and onto the screen where letters become words and words become paragraphs and paragraphs turn into profound nuggets of truth and profound nuggets of truth turn into unforgettable stories and unforgettable stories turn into...STOP!

Even though silly rambles, like the one above, seem to ooze unsuspectingly out of my pores every so often, I am determined not to do that in this blog. I can't promise anything, but, you know, um, there you go. No alarms and no surprises, that's all I can promise (what band am I referencing here?).

Here's the real dope. This blog will concentrate on thoughts of writing, storytelling, and creativity. It will also feature memorable moments of my venture into parenthood and life in general. There are LOTS of things happening. Big changes. For one, my wife Kate is due with our first child any day now. So stay tuned.

Thanks for reading. I promise this will be an entertaining venture into the blogosphere for you. Happy Days are here again!