Why You Should Become a Better Storyteller Instead

We don't always have to be original- we just need to be better at telling our stories

Illustration by Author

A few days back, I started to ponder upon the level of creativity I am putting into writing. I was mindfully trying to understand if I am doing my best effort to be “original” in a world of what seems to be a crowded sea of writers.

I wondered how much of what I put out is really mine and how much of it is repackaged thoughts by others- the articles, podcasts, and books I read. I might be overly critical, even borderline pretentious that I could come up with something new in the universe, but I genuinely question if maybe I am only rehashing my curated content.

I wondered if I should probably conjure more original thoughts in order to be better as a writer.

Storytelling vs Originality

A few days later and instead of thinking about the very thing I should think about (which is come up with seemingly original thoughts), I end up debating within myself on what originality really is, if such concept even holds true in a digital world where nothing is seemingly new and whatnot.

I wondered if originality is the biggest factor for being compelling. Is it the primary reason why people get drawn to your writing?

And in my search for answers, the journey has led me to NOT prove the case for originality but an alternative framing on becoming a more effective communicator: Be a better storyteller instead.

So why do we need to hone our storytelling skills?

Storytelling for Trust, NOT attention

In the digital landscape that we’re in, many will say that gaining people’s attention is what the game is all about. While there is a lot of truth to that, Bernadette Jiwa, a recognized authority in business philosophy and branding, gives great insight into why we should aim for making more meaningful interaction online that is based on TRUST rather than basic, vanilla, attention.

If your goal is to get and leverage someone’s attention for a split second, then, of course, you can. And link bait works for a little while…

The kind of attention I think you’re after though isn’t this meaningless, fleeting interaction. It’s based on mutual respect and trust — the kind of interaction that’s wished for, welcomed, and wanted. It’s given, not taken; anticipated, not simply tolerated.- Bernadette Jiwa

Sometimes we have great ideas but the problem of why it doesn’t land or connect to people might not be because it is a failure on design or anything, it simply not marketed properly. But perhaps what struck me the most from her work is this:

You can’t change minds without winning hearts.- Bernadettte Jiwa

As someone who often struggles with this line of thinking- “Can I even change people’s minds, what’s the point?”, the idea of not appealing to the mind in the first place is such a refreshing thought. Who knew there would be an alternate route.

We, as humans, connect more through emotions, and while I don’t want to appeal to it, I think great storytelling allows us to deliver a point in a masterful, creative way. Everyone can relate to stories because they have one themselves.

This framing allowed me to be less concerned with the pressure to win attention or implement tricks and hacks to draw people in, but more on the actual craft of creating content for the people that we have in mind.

To be honest though, the “people” I refer to is a little vague for now. I don’t clearly know who would be drawn to my stories but that is exactly the point. I don’t have to pretend that I know. As I shift my focus to telling better stories, I also shift into keeping my content real and free it from inauthenticity.

To Express the Beauty of our Own Assertions

Telling stories allow us to craft our own assertions. We are literally living in a society where we are trained to believe what is being fed to us and if we don’t make the conscious choice to dissect what is presented, we are just going to buy it.

In the past, I used to fancy calling myself a woman of science. Reinforced by my technical background, I thought I am always on the right side of things when I side with facts. But “facts” nowadays are contestable. It used to be, or I would often believe, that when a piece of information or a claim is backed by bodies considered as “industry authority” that it is considered “facts”. But the truth is who could even qualify or identify these figures of authority, and why do we place too much of an importance to what they say or what science has to say?

Okay to be clear, I am not rejecting science. Just the fact that we place so much authority to it is what’s bothersome for me. But I digress…

My point is that, our faculty to critically think for ourselves are slowly being “taken cared of” by someone or something. To go against a widely accepted narrative is met not with healthy discourse but with disgust for “ignorance”. This cultivates a culture that shames alternative thinking and makes it difficult to create and assert our own assertions. Now everyone does caveats and in fact, let me just do it now: Correlation does not equal causation, but… I’m kidding. I’m gonna be brave for once.

To take a stand and make a principled argument. Not merely a matter of opinion, but your take on where to drive, even when you don’t have a map handy.

The journeys that matter the most rarely come with map.-Seth Godin

I think great storytelling is brave storytelling. This thought has changed the landscape by which I treat going against the grain. It used to be difficult, it used to be that we tiptoe around ideas too much. We tiptoe around people, I myself am walking on eggshells sometimes in fear to not hurt people or worse, oppose each other’s point of views.

But to make a compelling story requires a deep understanding of ourselves and what we represent, so much so that even if it is considered intriguing, our principles remain intact even if we are met with disagreement, or raised eyebrows.

That is probably why Jesus spoke in parables. Humans digest stories better. We associate with it, we picture it, and we simply understand it. It works.

Great stories move people

Wouldn’t it be great to reach a point where what you say mattered enough that people are willing to think about it, consider it, then DO something about it?

In order to understand the process more, I try to think of the times where I was called into action. I tracked back to the last time I bought something online.

How was it that this piece of copy convinced me that a course or this product is what I needed?

I realized that well, they all seem to have the same element to them- the story of hope and transformation. We want to become better, we like to think that when we do something it will ultimately and collectively produce a better version of ourselves.

Great storytelling allows us to bridge the gap between what we see as the creator and what we want our audience to see too. We need to be better at telling our story because when done incorrectly, we are not giving our brilliant ideas, our products, our values what it deserves.

And lastly, respect the process. It will come. We know we have a long way ahead of us. Thinking about this as a journey though, I alleviate myself the pressure to be perfect this very day.

And in the spirit of mastering storytelling as an art, I leave you with this:

It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. — Ira Glass