All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players.
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts…~William Shakespeare
Becoming a Master Storyteller increases a person’s confidence in the world, in interacting with others, as well as building critical mental skills. Becoming a Master Storyteller is an Ultimate Starmaker for sure. Below are just some of the many reasons why:
- You can tie pretty much anything into a great story, for whatever purposes you desire. Now, tapping into stories that people WANT to hear is important as well, so it’s important to use your new found abilities with common sense and intuition, and BAM…you’ve got Star quality!
- Who is always the life of the party? Storytellers, right?
- Storytelling is a fantastic way to convey one or several complex messages in a way that people can relate to, without sounding sales-y or pushing certain agendas. If it’s done right, that is. 😉
- Once you master the art of story, you can transfer that skill to marketing in a BIG way.
- If you are a musician or lyricist, storytelling can take people to new places via music, you definitely will be considered a Star!
- Who knows, maybe you will write the next Great American Novel, pick up the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, revolutionize the world of advertising, or simply put smiles on people’s faces every day. Ahem…SUPERSTAR!! 🙂
- An interesting side benefit of being a Master Storyteller is that you begin to see all of your life as a story, and that can be a powerful place, because you begin to see that you have the power to change your own story. Freaky, right? But it works!
- Telling a great story in writing, fiction or non-fiction, allows you the chance to quickly put it in an ebook and get that sucker up on Amazon’s Digital Platform, and make huge money, fast! Anyone else here could use more money?
- Part of the above benefit is because Master Storytellers always understand that everything has its opposite in life, which of course can potentially cause a change in the quality of life of the Storyteller, for that person now habitually understands when this too shall pass, the seasons of life, and the emotional cycles we all go through being human. Okay woo-woo-ness officially ends here. 😉
- Remember telling ghost stories around a campfire? Do people still do that, or did I just age myself? Storytelling is contagious, and causes us to use both parts of our brain at the same time. That’s another way of saying…it makes you smarter.
There are so many benefits to becoming a Master Storyteller. If any of these seemed to jump out at you, then awesome! Take action! Develop and hone your skill, and become a Star now!
Here’s some resources that have helped me. I should say that honing your storytelling skills is a lifelong process, similar to musicians. You will always be learning and growing, thus satisfying a basic human need for such.
This book is hands down the best I’ve read on how a great story flows. I’ve also attended Robert’s Story seminar in Los Angeles. It was an amazing experience, to say the least. If you’ve ever seen the movie Adaptation, there is a character based on McKee in it, brilliantly played by Brian Cox. Don’t let the seeming focus on screenwriting fool you…the book/seminar is aptly named, because of what it truly focuses on: STORY. Highly recommend!
Story by Robert McKee
There are also many other great sources. Here’s a quick hit of some of my favorites: