Welcome to my newsletter! I’m so glad you’re here!
Here, we’ll talk about all things storytelling, including…
Storytelling tips & inspiration
Close reads of anything & everything
Storytelling resources
What not to do (storytelling that doesn’t work, and why)
My lovely clients’ successes, great questions, ideas, and more
General fangirling about the things I love
But first...why story?
Let’s set the scene. We’re in the middle of a global pandemic, in the run-up to two momentous votes both in the country I currently live in (Chile’s constitutional referendum) and in the country I’m from (the US presidential election). I’m one of the lucky people who has a roof over my head, consistent and safe work, and access to medical care. I’ve also been working from home since 2013. So not a lot changed for me with social isolation, aside from no longer writing in my favorite cafés.
And still. This––the pandemic, the uncertainty––has been really, really hard.
One thing that has changed is my media consumption. I’m watching a lot of TV and YouTube videos, listening to a ton of podcasts and audiobooks, and reading more graphic novels and comics than ever.
I’m soothing myself with story.
And my super-duper informal, non-scientific polling of some people in my social circle tells me I’m not the only one.
One friend started using a VPN to watch other countries’ Netflix, since she’d “pretty much watched everything” available locally. Another friend gave in to what she calls “the evil empire” and subscribed to Amazon Prime to be able to binge-watch more series.
In her book Wired for Story, Lisa Cron explains how the ability to tell stories allowed humans to more effectively share, recall, and repeat information about potential threats. We could learn from each others’ experiences, unlike many other species. So instead of having to taste that alluring, mysterious plant for ourselves, we could remember what our auntie had told us about what happened to poor Bill, who unfortunately took a bite while he was hunting antelope.
Basically, Cron says, story is “nature’s way of seducing us into paying attention.” It’s quite literally part of what has made us who we are as humans.
And she’s not the only one who believes story is fundamental to the human experiences.
Robert McKee says story fulfills “a profound human need to grasp the patterns of living.”
Kindra Hall says “stories are what stick.”
And, well...my total screen time since the pandemic began––Netflix, Kindle, iBooks, all of––says that stories are keeping my sustained attention right now. When almost nothing else can.
I’ve always been passionate about story. I’ve been thinking deeply about storytelling, particularly through writing, for years now, both as a communications consultant and as a writer with an MFA in writing for children and young adults.
But the last six months, I’ve been particularly taken with the way story soothes us, persuades us, and moves us. Storytelling might be the most powerful communication tool we have. It makes us feel. And it’s just plain fun.
So here, I’m going to explore story craft and dive in deep to what makes story work, and why. I’ll mix highbrow and lowbrow. I’ll interview friends from different fields. I’ll talk about the latest Fiona Apple album, and the best (and worse) presidential speeches, and the copy on the back of your cayenne pepper.
So, why story? Because stores matter. They’re part of who we are.
Happy storytelling!
Erin
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Erin Becker (she/her)
Writer | Communications Consultant | Storytelling Expert
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