Why storytelling is difficult for a lot of people and the fix for it

Samuel Madu
2 min readSep 20
Photo by Lina Kivaka via Pexels

We are natural storytellers when we are not paying attention to it. Visit the closest bar and you will realize this truth.

Humans are people of experience and in those experiences are stories we tell. Every experience was lived, engaged with, and kept in the memory box.

But this memory box can be hard to reach when we sit in front of a computer or paper to write. Because we are now aware of the process of storytelling it runs away from us.

A lot of people will give anything to be able to tell their drunk fun stories on paper or the computer screen.

Fortunately for us that unconscious act is called creativity. Creativity somehow helps us compose our late Friday night stories into more compelling stories that resonate beyond our friend circle.

But for creativity to occur and the storytelling to flow there must be relaxation. It must feel like having a coffee drink with some close friends.

A lot of noncreative people want to tell you there are formulas to storytelling. They want to tell you it is about the hero story, they want to use Marvel as an example or some great movie of some sort but storytelling in simple terms is letting the imagination run.

Your imagination has to run. It is like a grandma sitting on a reclining chair knitting. You are knitting from the thread of your experiences. Making something new with it and enjoying the process.

The moment you try to be too conscious of it you lose it. Relaxation is the key. Imagine being too conscious and tensed while hanging out with your friends.

You and I know what scene such tension creates. It stops being fun and we might lose our friendship to such tension.

Imagine your readers being your close friends. They are indeed your close friends and you are imagining this story to tell at the next gathering.

It has to be pure, and real and it has to generate some emotions that keep the bond stronger.

Every content, every piece, every article, and every post should feel that way. Intimate and entertaining.

Join the writer’s camp cohort this month and let’s discuss storytelling, reader retention, and words that convince here

Samuel Madu

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