Although there is no single, objective standard for the elements of a great story, the prolific American writer, Kurt Vonnegut, liked to say that you must “be a sadist” to your characters. “Make awful things happen to them,” he said, “in order that the reader may see what they are made of.” What he was really driving at is the…
Were you a dreamer when you were a child? Did you get in trouble for daydreaming when you should have been doing your schoolwork—or did you have a teacher that recognized your higher purpose? This wonderful story from HP illustrates what beauty can truly arise when you’re encouraged to follow your dreams. Not only is this a great example of…
Personification: The representation of an abstract element of your story in human form. You probably encountered this term in high school as an effective, if novel, element of good storytelling. Instead of describing a conflict, you give it a human form and let that character literally tell it’s own story. Customer service software vendor, Zendesk, pulls this off to hilarious…
Ah taxes… If the thought of getting through this onerous, yearly ritual brings a tear of frustration and anxiety to your eye, you’re not alone. But there is hope – and help – available, as this storytelling campaign from tax and accounting software maker, Intuit, so poignantly demonstrates. It just goes to show that no matter what the product or…