Seven Elements to Super Charge Your Anecdotes
This lockdown has given me a chance to revisit a number of great books on storytelling.
One that has really stuck out is Kendall Haven’s ‘Story Smart.’
He’s all over the science and the process of creating great stories. And today I want to adapt some of his ideas to give you seven elements to super charge your anecdotes.
What Happens If You Don’t Super Charge Your Anecdotes?
You probably know the six word story that is often attributed to Ernest Hemingway.
‘For sale. Baby’s shoes. Never worn.’
Look at those words and think about these questions.
- Who is selling the shoes?
- Why are they for sale?
- Why aren’t they being given away?
- Why were they never worn?
The genius of those words is that they make your brain do what it has to do to make sense of any information it receives.
It takes in the words and it massages them through a series of assumptions to come up with a fully formed movie that then rattles around your neo-cortex to be logically assessed.
And this is great if it doesn't really matter what conclusions you come to.
But in the world of business, where it’s more important that your message is understood and remembered as you intend, you’ll need to add seven key elements.
The Seven Elements to Super Charge
One dictionary definition of story is ‘an account of events either real or imagined.’
‘She went to the shops,’ is an example of an account of events.
But it leaves way too much to the imagination if you really want people to understand and remember the message in the way you need them to.
You need to add,
- A Goal
The goal gives your anecdote a why. It is whatever your main character physically needs to do or get by the end of the story. It adds purpose to every action that takes place. It gives your anecdote relevance.
‘She went to the shops to buy a cake.’
Better. But now you need to add,
2. Challenges
These are anything that block your character from getting to their goal. They can be internal or external problems or conflicts with people or entities. If you don’t have a challenge you don’t have a story.
‘She went to the shops to buy a cake but she knew that she didn't have enough money.’
Now let’s add,
3. Risk and Danger
Risks are the probability of failure and dangers are what could happen if failure occurs.
Hollywood thrives on physical peril but you will get much more mileage out of our innate fear of personal, social, mental or emotional downfall.
‘She went to the shops to buy a cake but knew that she didn’t have enough money. Not only that but the shopkeeper would never strike a deal and had threatened to go to the local papers if she didn’t pay off her credit immediately.’
I think we should also add some,
4. Struggle
This is the amount of struggle your character is willing to undergo in order to face their challenge and reach their goal.
It can be an internal emotional struggle or a battle against outside forces.
‘She went to the shops to buy a cake but knew that she didn’t have enough money. Not only that but the shopkeeper would never strike a deal and had threatened to go to the local papers if she didn’t pay off her credit immediately. As she pushed the door open she forced back the tears in her eyes and took a deep breath.’
Not bad. But let’s give your character a,
5. Motive
Motive makes the goal important to the character. It is a key element for getting empathy and identification from your audience. An audience will always look for a motive so you might as well give them one.
‘She went to the shops to buy a cake for her best friend whose husband had just died. But she knew that she didn’t have enough money. Not only that but the shopkeeper would never strike a deal and had threatened to go to the local papers if she didn’t pay off her credit immediately. As she pushed the door open she forced back the tears in her eyes and took a deep breath.’
But we really need some,
6. Character Traits
These make the characters memorable. It’s an anecdote remember, so name, job and/or situation will probably be enough.
‘Mary, a young woman but old before her time, walked slowly to the shops. She wanted to buy a cake for her best friend Jill, whose husband had just died. She knew that she didn’t have enough money. The shopkeeper, a man who took equal delight in knowing everyone’s business and dishing out misery, would never strike a deal and had threatened to go to the local papers if Mary didn’t pay off her credit immediately. As she pushed the door open Mary forced back the tears in her eyes and took a deep breath.’
And finally we add,
7. Details
These are like the close up shots in a movie. They control what the audience does and doesn't see. I recommend that these are the last thing you add to any anecdote. They will certainly add drama and stickiness. But they come at a cost because they slow the pace and excitement very slightly.
Basically every detail needs to earn its place.
‘Mary, a young woman but old before her time, walked slowly to the shops. She wanted to buy a cake for her best friend Jill, whose husband had just died. As she trudged along Felix Avenue she stared at the two coins she had taken from her son’s piggy bank. She knew that it wasn't enough. The shopkeeper, a man who took equal delight in knowing everyone’s business and dishing out misery, would never strike a deal and had threatened to go to the local papers if Mary didn’t pay off her credit immediately. As she pushed the door open Mary forced back the tears in her eyes and took a deep breath. At that precise moment the sunlight bounced off the single stone in the ring that wrapped around her boney finger. She stopped still in the doorway. The way forward was clear.’
Now I’m not going to pretend that this is great writing.
But it is an anecdote that guides you to see what I want you to see.
It’s only 144 words long and would take about 45 seconds to tell.
And it probably makes you want to know what happened next.
Which of course will lead to a conversation.
And that is how seven key elements will super charge your anecdotes.
