Things to Keep in Mind Before You Tell a Story.

Storytelling always includes the “5 W” questions- Who, What, When, Where, Why, and the bonus How. But according to Alison Macadam, there are other fundamental questions one should consider before engaging in storytelling. The answers to these questions might change the story in its entirety.

Storytellers might want to consider the following tips or questions to strengthen their article, social post, advertisement, etc., wherever a story can be found these questions should have been asked by the writer.

1. What is Driving My Story?

There can be benefits to asking questions at the beginning of storytelling rather than starting by accounting events or making character statements. If you ask questions and use the answers to build your story it allows the story to grow and be a journey for the audience.

Professional Tip: If you have multiple questions, you probably have multiple stories. Stick to one and answer it well. Your audience will stay with you.

2. What are my dream ingredients?

To help better plan and tell your story imagine the elements, key points, or storyspine pieces ahead of time.

Professional Tip: Ask the following prompts

• What voices are essential?
• What complicated issue must be explained?
• What quotes will address your driving question?
• What moment or scene will make the story unforgettable?
• What transition will tie the pieces together?
• What will give the story personality?

Cast a big net of ideas and then choose the best ones to incorporate into your story or writing.

3. How will I engage my audience- & hold them?

Professional Tip: Always try to put yourself in your audience’s shoes.

What interests you? what would you enjoy reading or listening to? Try to be as creative as possible and then outline your big ideas, emotional arch, or plot. Remember why would you want to read it, and why is it important? know your target audience and why the story would appeal to them.

4. How will I ensure my story is fair to the people & ideas it represents?

Make sure your story is clear to the audience that even if it is being told from one perspective that different viewpoints are still present.

Professional Tip: One of Pixar’s Rules of Storytelling states “if you were your character, in this situation, how would you feel?” If your story involves real people and real ideas, I think this is a strong question to help determine if the story is fair and how the perspective being written might make others feel.

Even when the story focuses on one person or situation, ask yourself where the conflict resides. Last but not least, a story is never going to fairly represent all characters (fiction or fact) this is why novelists sometimes write the story from the other character’s perspectives. Alison Macadam shares that transparency is built by telling the audience where they can find related stories.

5. What will the audience remember when it’s over?

The audience rarely remembers the entire story. We will remember key plot pieces, favorite characters, or maybe a detailed setting this is because we have an emotional connection to the material.

If your reader could only take away one thing from your story, decide what you want it to be and focus on developing that material.

Professional Tip: You can build your stories to have the impact you want them to have. You just need to keep the impact in mind while creating the story.

In conclusion, if you remember to ask these questions at the beginning of writing or telling your story it will help guide your story. There is no single correct answer to these questions. You as the author of the story get to choose which answer help you complete your story.