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Storytelling

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People remember information better when stories are organized according to well-known structures. That’s because those familiar structures fit into readers’ existing mental frameworks. <a href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/three-post-isolated-on-white-background-57228280" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>Image by Roxana Bashyrova</em></a>

Why use a story structure?

Plus: 18 writing templates to try People remember information better when stories are organized according to well-known structures. (Mandler and...
<strong>Devil in the details</strong> Get Snowball’s or Tubby’s or Frisky’s name. <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/47000103@N05/8161295976" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><em>Image by Charlie Stinchcomb</em></a>

How to interview a person for an article

‘Get the name of the dog’ and other ways to get creative material I still remember — more than a...
<strong>Better than a recording device</strong> To get great stories in the interview, find the desk-pounding, or aha!, moment. <a href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/microphone-on-white-background-close-view-606943184" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><em>Image by Dmytro Ostapenko</em></a>

How to interview for an article to get stories

How to find the aha! moment and other tools Call it an aha! moment: Better than a recording device To...
<strong>Needle in a haystack</strong> Breathe new life into a tired cliche by extending or otherwise playing with it. <a href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/closeup-needle-haystack-isolted-on-white-455618908" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><em>Image by Chones</em></a>

How to play with words in writing

Revive, resurrect or reimagine a cliché Call it a cliché makeover. Needle in a haystack Breathe new life into a...
<strong>In a twist</strong> Twist a list to develop plays with words. <a href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/female-asian-teenager-exercising-yoga-against-100509436" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><em>Image by ifong</em></a>

How to play with words

Twist a list to add humor to your message Long ago, on an episode of “The Colbert Report,” Stephen Colbert...
<strong>Play twister</strong> You’re just four steps away from a great twist of phrase. <a href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/childs-hands-on-twister-game-529461466" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><em>Image by IhorL</em></a>

How to write a pun

Four steps to crafting a twist of phrase Some people are natural-born phrase twisters. The rest of us will likely...
<strong>Short story</strong> Master short-form content for today’s attention spans.

How to write short-form storytelling

Cut a long story short In The Emperor of All Maladies, Siddhartha Mukherjee shares this tiny tale: Short story Master...
<strong>You must be joking</strong> Add humor to your message with jokes, self-deprecating humor and twists on lists. <a href="https://www.istockphoto.com/photo/banana-gm526542512-92593983" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><em>Image by your_photo</em></a>

How to write funny content

3 ways to incorporate humor into your writing Humor is one of the Top 3 reasons people share information, according...
<strong>Report for story</strong> The best way to find testimonials and other stories? Ask. <a href="https://www.istockphoto.com/photo/a-word-writing-text-showing-concept-of-whats-your-story-made-of-different-magazine-gm868718150-144926603" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><em>Image by Artur</em></a>

Every business has a story to tell

Find yours with an RFS (Request for Stories) How do you find awe-inspiring stories like these? Report for story The...
<strong>Use personal stories</strong> Share your subject’s own tales.

What is your brand story?

Share your subject matter expert’s own experiences When Thomas Reardon, M.D., president of the American Medical Association, spoke to the...

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