Recently I was working with a client whose story was just falling flat. It’s not her fault really, there are so many variations of people’s opinions on what makes a compelling story. The thing it was really missing was…heart. More specifically, her heart. There were no personal stories that helped us relate to her.
A compelling story grips people because it’s relatable even if the person reading it has never experienced anything like it.
A compelling story has three main elements to it (in my opinion).
- It builds a bridge with the reader in a relatable way.
- It’s emotional and authentic (emotional doesn’t necessarily mean gut wrenching or sad by the way).
- It’s vulnerable and bonus points if it’s surprising.
Building a bridge with the reader happens when you can help them connect with you on an emotional level. For an example of this check this story out.
This story speaks to the second and third point too—being emotional and authentic as well as vulnerable. Even if people have never experienced what I laid out in that story, they can still relate to it and it builds a bridge. When you are vulnerable it translate into trustworthy.
When you can add a surprise twist or something the reader didn’t see coming, even better! This is how you captivate an audience and keep them reading and coming back for more. You need to share your stories in powerful ways.
For point number two, what I meant by emotional was that it could also be humorous. Emotional doesn’t need to be sad, it can be a hilarious story that leaves people holding their sides (or bladders). Making the reader feel something is better than a dry story with no emotion.
Use these tips to make your writing more compelling and if you need additional support, you can grab my free guide right here, and jump into my Facebook community where we did a five day challenge on this exact thing!
