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Notes on How To Master Storytelling by Shaan Puri

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 • ⏳ 4 mins read

Here are my notes or just snippets of conversation that I find useful from How to Master Storytelling YouTube video. This video is the conversation between David Perell and Shaan Puri about his storytelling method and writing processes.

YouTube Link: David Parell

Notes:

  1. You can be as long as you are interesting
  2. What a content needs to grab attention of reader?
    • A hook and/or a frame.
  3. Hooks vs Frame:
    • Hooks are about the words you are gonna write
    • Frames are about the idea and how you're going to make that idea relevant and how you're going to connect two ideas that seem unrelated to be related
  4. Storytelling Framework:
    • Everyone thinks X I am thinking Y
    • Here is how it’s gonna go down, or happen or something on those lines.
    • Don’t say here is why I am right.
  5. Not every content needs to be a story. To open a door you need a key not hammer.
  6. How to be better tweet/blog or any content?
    • Create -> Post -> Learn -> Make one thing better every time -> Repeat.
  7. From Storyworthy (book):
    • What is a story? Story is a 5-second moment of change.Everything that you tell in a story comes to this one moment, this 5-seconds where character(mostly main character) is transformed. https://youtu.be/GlTA4wXSACE?si=xpgeVPGL9E76X49T&t=1770
    • Moments where character’s nature or life got changed. Bad -> Good or Bagger -> Billionaire
  8. Start and End is fine, but the story of what was the Epiphany moment and how you went from there to the end goal/change.
  9. Pixar’s method for storytelling rule (not verified):
    • Hero doesn't have to win, audience loves the hero because of the way they try.
    • So journey is important.
  10. Story is not a record of what happened.
    • Story is transformation, it is just a change. (It was like this and now it is like this.)
  11. Steven Bartlett:
    • What is Jenny in her bedroom is going to think when she sees this?
    • Jenny is just scrolling and swiping and is this doesn’t make Jenny stop and think about it and share with her Friends, it’s going nowhere.
  12. Buzzfeed:
    • Debbie at her desk.
    • The most powerful network in the world is bored at work network.
  13. On Viral Video from Quingley:
    • Go backwards from emotions.
    • The only thing that people will share things that are LOL, WTF, OMG, AWW, HAHA.
    • Pick emotion and then think how to achieve it, create a script/blog and think if this will create that reaction that you chose. If no, work more.
  14. People consume you content alone, when you write; write for one person in one place at one moment in time.
  15. Get into energy what are you writing about, Write as soon as you are in that state of mind/energy. That is the best way to make reader feel that energy and get bet out of yourself.
  16. Important thing when writing (or doing anything)
    • Change how you feel
    • Focus on right thing
    • What story are you telling yourself (What’s your story - not talking about what you are writing about)
  17. Let curiosity be the driver
  18. Shaan’s life philosophy: If you are in your head, you are dead.
  19. Way to get out when you are stuck go general. Don’t try to stop thinking on where you are stuck just divert your mind on something general. Will, interest, hobby, etc.
  20. Writing to one person, specific one person.
  21. You have to tell them consistently something interesting multiple times to earn that channel between them. That’s the only way they will follow you and vouch for you.
  22. Try something different, meet different people, Sundstrand how they do what they do. Sometimes best strategy is look outside. If you just be and get ides from writers you won’t get something unique or different.
  23. How to think about content and you:
    • People think when they write they need to do something outside of themselves. But the whole point of writing is to take you and just push it out.
    • Do try to create a fake thing that you think other people might want, just take yourself and push it out.
    • If you don’t find it interesting readers won’t as well.

General Advice:

  1. Fastest way to change how you feel is a radical change in your physiology.