Draw readers into a narrative that teaches, sells, or transforms.
Facts tell. Stories sell. Humans are wired for narrative—we've been telling stories around fires for 100,000 years. When you wrap your message in a story, readers lower their defenses. They stop analyzing and start experiencing. They remember. A well-told story can persuade more powerfully than any logical argument.
Stories engage different parts of the brain than facts. When we hear facts, only language-processing regions activate. When we hear stories, motor cortex, sensory cortex, and emotional centers all light up. We literally experience the story. This creates stronger memory, deeper emotion, and more persuasive impact.
Start with a character (often 'you' or 'I') facing a problem
Build tension: what's at stake? What obstacles exist?
Show transformation: how did things change?
Connect the personal to the universal: your story should illuminate their situation
Use sensory details to make scenes vivid and real
Stories without conflict or stakes
Too much backstory before the action
Forgetting to connect the story to the reader's situation
Telling instead of showing ('I learned a valuable lesson' vs. showing what happened)
Good Example
"You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future."
Weak Example
"It's important to trust that your past experiences will prove valuable in ways you can't currently predict."
Why the difference matters:
Jobs' version uses the metaphor of 'dots' consistently and speaks directly about trust and the future. The rewrite is abstract advice that could come from any self-help book.
Chapter 7: Storytelling as Persuasion
Draw readers into a narrative that teaches, sells, or transforms.
Emotional Resonance
Writing that hits you in the gut.
Curiosity Hooks
The opening line that forces you to keep reading.
Reading about techniques isn't enough. Practice typing passages that demonstrate storytelling to build muscle memory for great writing.
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