A Little Something to Help You Tell Better Stories

this applies to the stories over coffee or the mic

Author

Chris Miller
July 12, 2023

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Hello! Salutations! Another day, another dollar đź’°

Today is short - here’s what we got:

đź›  A tool to use when telling a story.

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đź›  A tool to use when telling a story.

Photo by Barn Images on Unsplash

I’ve been reading this book about podcasting called Make Noise (if you’ve been thinking about podcasting - give it a look).

And I read something that has been living rent-free in my head: the importance of setting the scene when you’re telling a story. 

Typically, setting the scene requires you to spend more time upfront before the action takes place. Here are ways we could do that:

  • the five senses, they may not all apply, but pick the ones that do:

    • feel: “smooth, bumpy, jagged, round, wet, dry, dusty, etc.”

    • taste: “bitter, sour, sweet, salty, metallic, nostalgic, etc.”

    • sound: “loud, booming, shrill, timid, soft, quiet, sharp, etc.”

    • sight: “colorful, shaded, vivid, pastel, greyscale, etc.”

    • smell: “rancid, sweet, appetizing, putrid, off-putting, etc.”

  • compare it to something we can all visualize

    • “he looked like an alien from outer-space who just bought an outfit from Abercrombie & Fitch.”

    • “she sounded like a cicada in a microphone.”

  • touch on things we wouldn’t normally think of

    • “the edges of the rug were warped and frayed.”

    • “soup was everywhere, on the floor, the table, even behind the fridge.”

Doing this won’t break your back and it will elevate the listener’s experience. When we set the scene well, then we set up the opportunity to introduce well-rounded characters.

We can talk more about that soon! Until then, focus on SETTING THE SCENE!

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