How to Spin Yarns into Gold
It was November 18, 2019.
The day Laura Belgray told me my life wasn’t actually boring.
She told me that no matter where you live, stories are happening to you and around you and it’s up to you to open yourself up to hearing them and then to file them away safely for future use.
[Pro tip: Do not let the little details get away. They are the most important ones. More on that later.]
Having an ever-growing story file makes writing engaging copy so much flipping easier, too.
Laura Belgray certainly wasn’t the first person to mention the power of story to me.
But I couldn’t resist her stories.
They were exactly what made her my go-to for all things story.
The truth is, all successful thought leaders, gurus, or whoevers are doing is reprocessing and reimagining information through their own stories - and that is what makes them relatable, quotable, follow-able (and makes their Stripe notification go ringy-dingy).
Their secret is out. And the best news? You have the ability to master the same powerful method of storytelling.
Start training your eyes - and especially your ears - to take it all in. A story doesn’t have to happen to you to be fair game for a future email or sales page. I am pretty sure it won’t be long before I have the perfect reason to use the story I overheard while I was masked and tilted backwards over the shampoo bowl at the hair salon last month.
It’s totally legit to be story adjacent.
Start a story file. I can’t stress this enough. I call mine the Totally Awesome Tales of (Lisa) Marie Antoinette, but feel free to pick your own file name. When you are putting it on “paper,” get all your senses involved. Do you smell something? Taste something? What can you see? These seemingly inconsequential, mundane, or dare I say…boring…details are what will make this story such a sweet little honeypot when you finally call it up and send it out into the world in an email, sales page, or maybe even on your website’s About page.
The dollars are in the details.
Then, be brave. Story is one of the most powerful ways we have to communicate. We’re hard-wired for it…but it is also one of the most vulnerable ways we can show up and attempt to relate to people. When our stories are real and raw and authentic having one land with a thud hurts. Don’t let the occasional lead balloon keep you from sharing what the world has taught you through your own story filter.
So even when you don’t stick the landing, commit to giving it another go.
Your stories are also like a mirror you hold up to your audience or prospects. When they see themselves in your experiences, that’s where connections are made. Loyalties are formed. As you play with story and practice your storytelling skills, you’ll learn how and when to make your tales about you - and everybody else - all at once.
Look for ways to create opportunities where your reader feels like the protagonist. Or give them the chance to see themselves as the hero in your story.
If there’s ever been a time when you haven’t felt filled to the brim with confidence about sharing what you know or what you do or why you do it, that’s the time to lean on story.
Your stories.
Your unique perspective on whatever you want to share is exactly what someone needs to hear today.
There is someone out there waiting to relate to you!
P. S. I wasn’t kidding when I said Laura Belgray was my go-to for improving my story skills. I’m doing her new training, Story Hero, probably more than once. Getting the right flex on your storytelling muscle is that important.
This isn’t an affiliate link, just a love link because no one is better at this than Laura. Grab her story training for yourself .