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Storyworthy: Engage, Teach, Persuade, and Change Your Life through the Power of Storytelling
A five-time Moth GrandSLAM winner and bestselling novelist shows how to tell a great story — and why doing so matters. Whether we realize it or not, we are always telling stories. On a first date or job interview, at a sales presentation or therapy appointment, with family or friends, we are constantly narrating events and interpreting emotions and actions. In this compelling book, storyteller extraordinaire Matthew Dicks presents wonderfully straightforward and engaging tips and techniques for constructing, telling, and polishing stories that will hold the attention of your audience (no matter how big or small). He shows that anyone can learn to be an appealing storyteller, that everyone has something “storyworthy” to express, and, perhaps most important, that the act of creating and telling a tale is a powerful way of understanding and enhancing your own life.
368 pages, Paperback
First published June 15, 2018
About the author
Matthew Dicks
16 books1,051 followersMatthew Dicks is the internationally bestselling author of the novels Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend, Something Missing, Unexpectedly, Milo, The Perfect Comeback of Caroline Jacobs, and the upcoming novels The Other Mother and Cardboard Knight, as well as the nonfiction Storyworthy: Engage, Teach, Persuade, and Change Your Life Through the Art of Storytelling. His novels have been translated into more than 25 languages worldwide.
Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend was the 2014 Dolly Gray Award winner and was nominated for a 2017 Nutmeg Award in Connecticut. Matthew was also awarded first prize in 2016 and second prize in 2017 in the Magazine/Humorous Column category by the CT Society of Professional Journalists.
He is also the author of the rock opera The Clowns and the musicals Caught in the Middle, Sticks & Stones, and Summertime. He has written comic books for Double Take comics. He is a columnist for Seasons magazine and has published work in Reader's Digest, The Hartford Courant, Parents magazine, The Huffington Post, and The Christian Science Monitor. He was awarded first prize for opinion writing in 2015 by the Connecticut Society of Professional Journalists.
When not hunched over a computer screen, Matthew fills his days as an elementary school teacher, a storyteller, a speaking coach, a blogger, a wedding DJ, a minister, a life coach, and a Lord of Sealand. He has been teaching for 20 years and is a former West Hartford Teacher of the Year and a finalist for Connecticut Teacher of the Year.
Matthew is a 35-time Moth StorySLAM champion and 5-time GrandSLAM champion whose stories have been featured on their nationally syndicated Moth Radio Hour and their weekly podcast. He has also told stories for This American Life, TED, The Colin McEnroe Show, The Story Collider, The Liar Show, Literary Death Match, The Mouth, and many others. He has performed in such venues as the Brooklyn Academy of Music, The Wilbur Theater, The Academy of Music in North Hampton, CT, The Bynam Theater of Pittsburgh, The Bell House in NYC, The Lebanon Opera House, Boston University, and Infinity Hall in Hartford, CT.
He is a regular guest on several Slate podcasts, including The Gist, where he teaches storytelling.
Matthew is also the co-founder and creative director of Speak Up, a Hartford-based storytelling organization that produces shows throughout New England. He teaches storytelling and public speaking to individuals, corporations, and school districts around the world. He has most recently taught at Yale University, The University of Connecticut Law School, Purdue University, The Connecticut Historical Society, Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health, Miss Porter's School, The Berkshire School, and Graded School in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Matthew is the creator and co-host of Boy vs. Girl, a podcast about gender and gender stereotypes.
Matthew is married to friend and fellow teacher, Elysha, and they have two children, Clara and Charlie. He grew up in the small town of Blackstone, Massachusetts, where he made a name for himself by dying twice before the age of eighteen and becoming the first student in his high school to be suspended for inciting riot upon himself.
Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend was the 2014 Dolly Gray Award winner and was nominated for a 2017 Nutmeg Award in Connecticut. Matthew was also awarded first prize in 2016 and second prize in 2017 in the Magazine/Humorous Column category by the CT Society of Professional Journalists.
He is also the author of the rock opera The Clowns and the musicals Caught in the Middle, Sticks & Stones, and Summertime. He has written comic books for Double Take comics. He is a columnist for Seasons magazine and has published work in Reader's Digest, The Hartford Courant, Parents magazine, The Huffington Post, and The Christian Science Monitor. He was awarded first prize for opinion writing in 2015 by the Connecticut Society of Professional Journalists.
When not hunched over a computer screen, Matthew fills his days as an elementary school teacher, a storyteller, a speaking coach, a blogger, a wedding DJ, a minister, a life coach, and a Lord of Sealand. He has been teaching for 20 years and is a former West Hartford Teacher of the Year and a finalist for Connecticut Teacher of the Year.
Matthew is a 35-time Moth StorySLAM champion and 5-time GrandSLAM champion whose stories have been featured on their nationally syndicated Moth Radio Hour and their weekly podcast. He has also told stories for This American Life, TED, The Colin McEnroe Show, The Story Collider, The Liar Show, Literary Death Match, The Mouth, and many others. He has performed in such venues as the Brooklyn Academy of Music, The Wilbur Theater, The Academy of Music in North Hampton, CT, The Bynam Theater of Pittsburgh, The Bell House in NYC, The Lebanon Opera House, Boston University, and Infinity Hall in Hartford, CT.
He is a regular guest on several Slate podcasts, including The Gist, where he teaches storytelling.
Matthew is also the co-founder and creative director of Speak Up, a Hartford-based storytelling organization that produces shows throughout New England. He teaches storytelling and public speaking to individuals, corporations, and school districts around the world. He has most recently taught at Yale University, The University of Connecticut Law School, Purdue University, The Connecticut Historical Society, Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health, Miss Porter's School, The Berkshire School, and Graded School in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Matthew is the creator and co-host of Boy vs. Girl, a podcast about gender and gender stereotypes.
Matthew is married to friend and fellow teacher, Elysha, and they have two children, Clara and Charlie. He grew up in the small town of Blackstone, Massachusetts, where he made a name for himself by dying twice before the age of eighteen and becoming the first student in his high school to be suspended for inciting riot upon himself.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 667 reviews
July 23, 2018
Don't be deterred by the self-help seeming title of this book. It is much deeper, and much more useful. (Sorry, not a huge fan of self-help books!) This is the real deal, from an award-winning storyteller, teaching the reader how to tell stories using very specific techniques. He leads the reader through brainstorming exercises, how to remove unimportant elements, how to figure out the core 5 seconds of a story (even some surprising movie plots), how to end, how to pace, all of it. I teach a storytelling class every other year or so and this will probably be the textbook for our class next time. I also am in training to be a storytelling coach for our local program in town with the newspaper, and some of these examples were incredibly helpful. Storytelling has some differences from writing on the page, but writers might also find useful information in this book.
One trick I tried out immediately is the zigzag - using but instead of and. It was a revelation.
I find a little kinship here. George Dawes was present at one of his most important storytelling realizations, and Dawes was also at the very first raconteurs event I attended, where I was inspired to create a storytelling class in the first place, despite not knowing anything about how to do so at the time.
If you want a sample of a great story, try listening to one of his most awarded stories - "This Is Going To Suck."
Thanks to the publisher for providing access to this title via Edelweiss. It came out 12 June 2018.
One trick I tried out immediately is the zigzag - using but instead of and. It was a revelation.
I find a little kinship here. George Dawes was present at one of his most important storytelling realizations, and Dawes was also at the very first raconteurs event I attended, where I was inspired to create a storytelling class in the first place, despite not knowing anything about how to do so at the time.
If you want a sample of a great story, try listening to one of his most awarded stories - "This Is Going To Suck."
Thanks to the publisher for providing access to this title via Edelweiss. It came out 12 June 2018.
January 7, 2020
***SPOILERS***
1. This book made my imagination and my past run wild. I started thinking of stories I wanted to write immediately and wrote two of them out.
2. I was able to incorporate this information into my classroom and showed my students Matthew Dick’s TEDtalk.
3. I now want to listen to his stories.
4. I have been keeping a story of the day in my phone and I love finding those 5 second moments.
5. I have shared many ideas from this book with a lot of people and even bought it as a gift for my boyfriend.
6. READ this book to help you with any kind of writing.
7. I think this book will really help in my teaching career.
8. I would like a worksheet from the book that lists just the highlights of good storytelling to help remind me every time I write a story.
9. I also started a list of topics I want to start writing about from my past.
1. This book made my imagination and my past run wild. I started thinking of stories I wanted to write immediately and wrote two of them out.
2. I was able to incorporate this information into my classroom and showed my students Matthew Dick’s TEDtalk.
3. I now want to listen to his stories.
4. I have been keeping a story of the day in my phone and I love finding those 5 second moments.
5. I have shared many ideas from this book with a lot of people and even bought it as a gift for my boyfriend.
6. READ this book to help you with any kind of writing.
7. I think this book will really help in my teaching career.
8. I would like a worksheet from the book that lists just the highlights of good storytelling to help remind me every time I write a story.
9. I also started a list of topics I want to start writing about from my past.
June 9, 2021
*3.5 Stars*
This is a really good story crafting book that covers everything from how to come up with a good story ideas, what makes a good story, and how to actually craft a compelling story. It has a few great exercises that one can adopt to find compelling stories worth telling within the otherwise mundane events from our daily lives and our pasts.
My favourite thing I learned from this about compelling storytelling is how to make any story compelling by identifying your compelling 5-second moment of change. I think this is an interesting book where the author, wisely used some of his own stories to illustrate key ideas. I found his deconstruction of his stories really interesting and filled with teachable moments. That said, I’m not sure everyone will be a compelling storyteller like the author no matter how many of his exercises and assignments you do, because the fact is, he has just simply lived an incredibly eventful and interesting life. However, I think this is a great book to help you analyze what makes a story story-worthy and how to tell better stories. This is a book for if you’re looking to tell impactful personal stories of your experiences. This might not necessarily be helpful if you’re not looking for help with personal narratives- unless you want to use your personal story in some way for your project or business. But even being not much of a non-fiction reader, I really enjoyed this and learned a lot and found value in reading it.
This is a really good story crafting book that covers everything from how to come up with a good story ideas, what makes a good story, and how to actually craft a compelling story. It has a few great exercises that one can adopt to find compelling stories worth telling within the otherwise mundane events from our daily lives and our pasts.
My favourite thing I learned from this about compelling storytelling is how to make any story compelling by identifying your compelling 5-second moment of change. I think this is an interesting book where the author, wisely used some of his own stories to illustrate key ideas. I found his deconstruction of his stories really interesting and filled with teachable moments. That said, I’m not sure everyone will be a compelling storyteller like the author no matter how many of his exercises and assignments you do, because the fact is, he has just simply lived an incredibly eventful and interesting life. However, I think this is a great book to help you analyze what makes a story story-worthy and how to tell better stories. This is a book for if you’re looking to tell impactful personal stories of your experiences. This might not necessarily be helpful if you’re not looking for help with personal narratives- unless you want to use your personal story in some way for your project or business. But even being not much of a non-fiction reader, I really enjoyed this and learned a lot and found value in reading it.
August 2, 2018
I've enjoyed Matthew Dicks' talks and his interviews on The Gist. If you've heard those talks, however, then much of this is skimmable. There is some very good advice on maintaining people's attention, although some of it ignores the social complexities involved in who gets the floor. I also found some of his statements about teaching to be problematic. In one instance, he tells a story about having his blog posts taken out context by an anonymous scandalmonger and almost losing his teaching position. This doesn't happen, he says, because he never swore or posted pictures of alcohol. This happy outcome, however, is less a defense of his moral character than a reification of the notion that K-12 teachers (and it's creeping over to college professors, too) aren't allowed to have lives that don't adhere to some Victorian notion of morality. There's a very thin line between firing a teacher for being photographed with a pint of Guinness on her trip to Ireland (true story) and firing one for having a same-sex wedding(also true story). And considering the load of bureaucratic absurdities piled on teachers, the eighteen-page lesson plans, the emphasis on acronyms over content, the low pay and lack of funding, the notion that teachers should surmount these obstacles and be entertaining at all costs is also wrong in my book. It's important to be considerate, to 'read the air' as they say in Japan, but some of my best teachers were drab, unsmiling people with droning voices who also really knew their stuff. The demand that a teacher also entertain is veiled capitalism at its finest.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 13, 2021
A very enjoyable book about telling a good story, and even more, about finding and recognizing the stories in your own life to tell. I have been following the suggestion to write down, at the end of each day, the moment in that day that is "storyworthy", that makes that day different than any other day. It is a rewarding practice, and I feel like I have captured moments in my memory that might otherwise slip through.
April 27, 2021
Literally one of the worst books I have ever finished in my life. If the author‘s main purpose was to probide us with a self-congratulating, overly verbose and frankly not-that-interesting autobiography, he should have marketed this abomination as such.
If Dicks ever comes across this: Your life and stories are not nearly as fascinating as you think they are.
If Dicks ever comes across this: Your life and stories are not nearly as fascinating as you think they are.
April 8, 2021
the simplest stories about the smallest moments in our lives are the most compelling - every story is essentially a five-second moment in the life of a human being
we are the sum of our experiences, the culmination of everything that has come before, the more we know about our past, the better we know ourselves
if the words 'and then' can be placed between two scenes - you're in trouble
enjoyable read, very literally taught how to tell a better story but also explored the importance of stories which was interesting, homework for life and thinking about the most storyworthy moment every day has been a good habit to implement, in the wise words of matthew 'fuck superman, I'll take storytelling any day'
we are the sum of our experiences, the culmination of everything that has come before, the more we know about our past, the better we know ourselves
if the words 'and then' can be placed between two scenes - you're in trouble
enjoyable read, very literally taught how to tell a better story but also explored the importance of stories which was interesting, homework for life and thinking about the most storyworthy moment every day has been a good habit to implement, in the wise words of matthew 'fuck superman, I'll take storytelling any day'
June 26, 2020
Mathew Dicks is a good storyteller and a fine teacher of his craft. This book bundles his knowledge, illustrated with several of his Moth Story Hour stories, in an easy to digest bundle. Some of his writing advice is familiar but no-less true (i.e.: write every day, pay attention to verb tense) and some of it is uniquely suited to oral storytelling. Writers and teachers of writing will learn from this, and anyone seeking to participate in a storytelling performance should heed his guidance.
The audio book was easy to listen to, even though the author’s narration is -perhaps - an acquired taste.
The audio book was easy to listen to, even though the author’s narration is -perhaps - an acquired taste.
July 19, 2022
4.0
Before you read this book, keep in mind that this is specifically designed for people who are presenting their own lived stories before an audience, or perhaps writing a short story about such experiences, and less so for people who are writing lengthy novels or perhaps a series, especially ones that are fictitious or in the fantasy genre.
That said, there is advice in here that is still useful to someone interested in writing an extended novel or series, because there are some tenets of storytelling overall that seem to hold regardless of how long a writer's intended story is. That includes:
1. Exercises to find story inspiration that draws from author's life experience
2. The advice to keep a story centered around a critical moment of change/turning point, which Dicks calls the "5-second moment."
3. Ways to inject 'stakes' into stories (a means to keep audience engaged)
4. Instances when lies are acceptable in a story based off of the author's personal experience
5. Ways to keep the audience/readers engaged by placing every scene into an identifiable setting from the beginning
6. How to inject micro-doses of conflict/logically tie pieces of story together using conjunctions such as "but," "therefore," "however," etc. rather than loosely holding a series of events together like a list using only the word "and."
7. Ways to use elements of surprise to garner an emotional response from audience/readers
8. Advice on when to insert humor into a story and how to create it
9. Ways to avoid accidentally pulling audience/readers out of a story
This is just a list of things that I found most useful for me, as someone who is writing an extended fantasy novel that has absolutely no plot-related roots in my personal life experiences.
I found that most of Dick's advice focused on finding inspiration and keeping an audience engaged. He focused a little less on the makings of a great story in and of itself, especially ones that would extend for perhaps... 1000+ pages, therefore requiring many iterations of rising and falling conflict. While I found his advice very well organized and fantastic for his intended audience, I would also be interested in learning how to scale his advice to larger works, perhaps with many smaller stories and events embedded within it.
His advice could be helpful to:
1. Other spoken-word presenters/storytellers
2. Memoirists
3. Lifestyle Bloggers/Informal Bloggers
4. Short story writers
5. Public speakers
6. Teachers
Before you read this book, keep in mind that this is specifically designed for people who are presenting their own lived stories before an audience, or perhaps writing a short story about such experiences, and less so for people who are writing lengthy novels or perhaps a series, especially ones that are fictitious or in the fantasy genre.
That said, there is advice in here that is still useful to someone interested in writing an extended novel or series, because there are some tenets of storytelling overall that seem to hold regardless of how long a writer's intended story is. That includes:
1. Exercises to find story inspiration that draws from author's life experience
2. The advice to keep a story centered around a critical moment of change/turning point, which Dicks calls the "5-second moment."
3. Ways to inject 'stakes' into stories (a means to keep audience engaged)
4. Instances when lies are acceptable in a story based off of the author's personal experience
5. Ways to keep the audience/readers engaged by placing every scene into an identifiable setting from the beginning
6. How to inject micro-doses of conflict/logically tie pieces of story together using conjunctions such as "but," "therefore," "however," etc. rather than loosely holding a series of events together like a list using only the word "and."
7. Ways to use elements of surprise to garner an emotional response from audience/readers
8. Advice on when to insert humor into a story and how to create it
9. Ways to avoid accidentally pulling audience/readers out of a story
This is just a list of things that I found most useful for me, as someone who is writing an extended fantasy novel that has absolutely no plot-related roots in my personal life experiences.
I found that most of Dick's advice focused on finding inspiration and keeping an audience engaged. He focused a little less on the makings of a great story in and of itself, especially ones that would extend for perhaps... 1000+ pages, therefore requiring many iterations of rising and falling conflict. While I found his advice very well organized and fantastic for his intended audience, I would also be interested in learning how to scale his advice to larger works, perhaps with many smaller stories and events embedded within it.
His advice could be helpful to:
1. Other spoken-word presenters/storytellers
2. Memoirists
3. Lifestyle Bloggers/Informal Bloggers
4. Short story writers
5. Public speakers
6. Teachers
November 3, 2021
I first listed to the blinkist version, which intrigued me. I then watched Matthew Dicks' story of his car accident on The Moth, which inspired me. I then began to read the book, which bored me intensely. I cannot understand why such a good vocal storyteller felt the need to stretch the first chapters with such endlessly detailed explanations. I ended up skipping pages to get to his point. My personal recommendation - watch him on TED, listen to blinkist or a shortened version of the book.
One thing I certainly find intriguing from this book is Dick's insistence that all stories should be your own stories, and not those of others, unless told from your perspective. In business storytelling, this luxury is not always available, and I have found (and other storytelling books confirm) that telling the stories of others is not only acceptable, but sometimes desirable (a leader can use such stories to make an employee the hero, for example).
Inspiring person, but did not make the cut for me.
One thing I certainly find intriguing from this book is Dick's insistence that all stories should be your own stories, and not those of others, unless told from your perspective. In business storytelling, this luxury is not always available, and I have found (and other storytelling books confirm) that telling the stories of others is not only acceptable, but sometimes desirable (a leader can use such stories to make an employee the hero, for example).
Inspiring person, but did not make the cut for me.
September 9, 2022
3.5⭐️ this was extremely informative and helpful. The author narrated the audiobook I listened to and although he did a fantastic job (no wonder he’s a storyteller), I would have preferred a physical format to take notes and highlight. This was completely my bad for picking audio format for a non-fiction, yet it did take away from my absorption of knowledge (thus not full 4 stars). I’ll definitely take some things with me and pick up a physical copy if I find it second hand. For those looking to improve their storytelling capabilities in any way shape or form, this is a to-the-point practical and sometimes humourously harsh approach to improving your skills. If you want to be more engaging as a person, partner, colleague or parent - this book has it all. I did think he went a bit overboard on the storytime breaks and overexplained some parts while I would have liked more details elsewhere.
January 15, 2021
Interesting book for anyone who wants to be a better partner, friend and father/mother.
The first half of the book is perfect. The structure is clear, the stories are fun to read and the information is plentiful.
The second half felt more or less like filling the pages just for the sake of it.
I think the saying "less is more" would apply perfectly for the second half.
4 stars, could've been 5 easily.
Well done Matthew Dicks.
The first half of the book is perfect. The structure is clear, the stories are fun to read and the information is plentiful.
The second half felt more or less like filling the pages just for the sake of it.
I think the saying "less is more" would apply perfectly for the second half.
4 stars, could've been 5 easily.
Well done Matthew Dicks.
May 31, 2019
I love this book! It’s filled with entertaining stories and practical advice for becoming an engaging storyteller. The audiobook is great because you get to hear the author himself, but I recommend getting the paper version as well, you’ll want to make notes and go back to specific sections for review.
January 11, 2021
I read this book piecemeal so as to implement the exercises set forth, primarily homework for life and crash and burn. They really are worth your time.
I would absolutely recommend this book, even if you aren’t particularly interested in utilizing the author’s advice for storytelling purposes, just for the stories he tells throughout.
I would absolutely recommend this book, even if you aren’t particularly interested in utilizing the author’s advice for storytelling purposes, just for the stories he tells throughout.
January 31, 2021
IMO, this book could have been significantly condensed. Was it an effective instructional book on story-telling? Yes. But it was so wordy and repetitive. It felt more like a autobiography about the author’s life. The few chapters at the end were almost painful to get through. Many many unnecessary details.
August 3, 2021
This book is filled with valuable tips on crafting and telling stories whether to family members and friends or at work or on stage. Matthew Dicks is a teacher, writer, and storyteller, and he brings all his knowledge and experiences into writing an excellent how-to on storytelling.
April 25, 2021
Three key takeaways from this book for me have been:
1. Books are lakes; stories are rivers
2. Five second rule
3. Movement in story is shown with buts and therefores. Don't use ands
1. Books are lakes; stories are rivers
2. Five second rule
3. Movement in story is shown with buts and therefores. Don't use ands
March 28, 2024
Second reading - this time with notes. (that I swore I wrote last time, but maybe they vanished).
LOTS to come because this book is so invaluable to me that I need to remember.
First - you have to sift out the gold from the arrogance. He's a confident braggart and admits this but it's off-putting. However, you will find solid chunks of gold within this gold mine.
___________
*You don't need to have big crazy car wrecks to guns put to your head to have a great story. They are usually found in the small moments - those are the most compelling. more relatable too.
A story is not a:
Fable/folktale (no connection to the storyteller thru vulnerability so they don't bring people closer together),
anecdote (A story must carry the listener through the arc of change. You start here and end there, changed.) Those are drinking stories or romps but won't leave a mark on your soul. they are fun roller-coasters but ultimately forgettable.
theatre or poetry- don't memorize and recite! Don't perform. Dinner Test: your story you tell to thousands should be similar to the version you would tell one person. no dramatic flourishes or over the top vocalization like you're on Broadway.
*Nobody wants to hear how great your vacation was, but they wouldn't mind hearing about some meaningful moments that occurred during. They don't want to hear "First we went here and then here and then saw this and that. Kill me. This is not a story this is a boring meaningless stroll down memory lane. An itinerary".
*Better to tell your own story and not someone else's. Or tell your side of someone else's, if you must. Because everyone has a different relationship to the story, tell your part.
Comedy - the goal isn't to tell a funny story. the goal is to move the audience emotionally. "It can contain humor but if it's all funny, then it operates on a single emotional plane and is forgettable."
Ways to generate stories:
HOMEWORK FOR LIFE
We experience unique moments throughout the day, we just don't pay attention unless we're looking. Then we will find hundreds of small memorable things to talk about - maybe not a full blown story but plenty of fodder to share. we need to record and share these. it can be through a spreadsheet or some sort of notebook. a snippet to capture the moment from the day. Something great happens when you do this - you begin to notice that great things happen every day. you now have a lens with which to see them. they are plentiful. "I discovered that there is beauty and import in my life that I never would have imagined". One woman who started doing said it made her life feel important for the first time. and like she was a part of a larger story and that her life mattered. It can be therapeutic and make life feel richer and fuller - I agree. They are floating all around us, just waiting to be pumped with life and told.
CRASH AND BURN
time for 10 minutes - write one word - an object in the room - then see where it leads. Pull out the threads of a story. This sounds so fun. you get get recovered memories - it's like when your computer crashes and you hire a guy to recover what was lost in the files.
Who needs stories to tell? grandparents who want the kids to pay attention to them, dr's who need to explain things to clients, patients, ministers who want to improve their sermons, people who want to date, etc.
FIRST LAST BEST WORST
say one word as a prompt: kiss, pet, job, car. tell the story of your first last best worst. surely there is good stuff there. make a table and fill it in.
FIVE SECOND MOMENTS
not the story of your vacation but something that happened there that would move the audience emotionally. Then ask what is the opposite of that? - that's where the story starts. This develops the arc.
A story must reflect change of some kind. Better to have a story of shame, failure, embarrassment with tiny steps forward rather than overnight success. "The story of how you're an amazing person who did an amazing thing and ended up in an amazing place is not a story. It's a recipe for a douchebag. The story of how you're a pathetic person who did a pathetic thing and remained pathetic is also not a story, it's a recipe for a sad sack." my fave quote.
"Failure is more engaging than success. You want to hear about the baseball player that ost the world series rather than the one who won it. you don't want to be a hero. Human's love underdogs...the line between a hero and insufferable person is a thin one".
The ending must be the opposite of the beginning. "I was unhappy and now I'm not, I was once uncertain but now I know.." This is also how you can guess how a movie will end.
"A written story is like a lake, and oral story is a river" Lakes you can pause and control the speed. Rivers is always flowing so you want your story to flow so listeners don't get stuck or confused and get out of the river.
Stories like movies - always start with movement, put them right there. "I'm in my car driving to walgreens or off a cliff, etc" We listen to stories to find out what happens next. We want to know the plan so we can root for you. "The goal is to provide a cinematic experience of the mind." so always provide a physical location for the listeners. if they can't see the location, the film has stopped running. You need action, specificity and setting.
Great ideas for giving a grad talk.
asking kids to write about their weekend - "Don't tell me everything. I don't need a timeline or a list. Tell me the most interesting or compelling thing and share"
Better to zig and zag using but and therefore rather than And. don't take a straight line to get there.
The secret to a big story is make it little by finding what will connect you to the listener. not a step by step accounting of a birth but a look at the horror and beauty of the unexpected.
Chop the story down. "If I had more time I would have written you a shorter letter" - Blaise Pascal. "Brevity takes time and is better. The longer you speak the more captivating you must be. "It require careful construction and clever crafting".
In closing, if we are in front of an audience for whatever reason - a funeral, a sermon, a pitch, we have a duty to be entertaining. And it's an opportunity. People learn better when you entertain, engage and inform. You'll be a better coach, CEO, teacher, parent, teacher, presenter and date.
When people ask about your day, share one moment, rather than the list of things you got done. When you open up, it tends to make the other person open up and then you have connection and meaningful relationships.
LOTS to come because this book is so invaluable to me that I need to remember.
First - you have to sift out the gold from the arrogance. He's a confident braggart and admits this but it's off-putting. However, you will find solid chunks of gold within this gold mine.
___________
*You don't need to have big crazy car wrecks to guns put to your head to have a great story. They are usually found in the small moments - those are the most compelling. more relatable too.
A story is not a:
Fable/folktale (no connection to the storyteller thru vulnerability so they don't bring people closer together),
anecdote (A story must carry the listener through the arc of change. You start here and end there, changed.) Those are drinking stories or romps but won't leave a mark on your soul. they are fun roller-coasters but ultimately forgettable.
theatre or poetry- don't memorize and recite! Don't perform. Dinner Test: your story you tell to thousands should be similar to the version you would tell one person. no dramatic flourishes or over the top vocalization like you're on Broadway.
*Nobody wants to hear how great your vacation was, but they wouldn't mind hearing about some meaningful moments that occurred during. They don't want to hear "First we went here and then here and then saw this and that. Kill me. This is not a story this is a boring meaningless stroll down memory lane. An itinerary".
*Better to tell your own story and not someone else's. Or tell your side of someone else's, if you must. Because everyone has a different relationship to the story, tell your part.
Comedy - the goal isn't to tell a funny story. the goal is to move the audience emotionally. "It can contain humor but if it's all funny, then it operates on a single emotional plane and is forgettable."
Ways to generate stories:
HOMEWORK FOR LIFE
We experience unique moments throughout the day, we just don't pay attention unless we're looking. Then we will find hundreds of small memorable things to talk about - maybe not a full blown story but plenty of fodder to share. we need to record and share these. it can be through a spreadsheet or some sort of notebook. a snippet to capture the moment from the day. Something great happens when you do this - you begin to notice that great things happen every day. you now have a lens with which to see them. they are plentiful. "I discovered that there is beauty and import in my life that I never would have imagined". One woman who started doing said it made her life feel important for the first time. and like she was a part of a larger story and that her life mattered. It can be therapeutic and make life feel richer and fuller - I agree. They are floating all around us, just waiting to be pumped with life and told.
CRASH AND BURN
time for 10 minutes - write one word - an object in the room - then see where it leads. Pull out the threads of a story. This sounds so fun. you get get recovered memories - it's like when your computer crashes and you hire a guy to recover what was lost in the files.
Who needs stories to tell? grandparents who want the kids to pay attention to them, dr's who need to explain things to clients, patients, ministers who want to improve their sermons, people who want to date, etc.
FIRST LAST BEST WORST
say one word as a prompt: kiss, pet, job, car. tell the story of your first last best worst. surely there is good stuff there. make a table and fill it in.
FIVE SECOND MOMENTS
not the story of your vacation but something that happened there that would move the audience emotionally. Then ask what is the opposite of that? - that's where the story starts. This develops the arc.
A story must reflect change of some kind. Better to have a story of shame, failure, embarrassment with tiny steps forward rather than overnight success. "The story of how you're an amazing person who did an amazing thing and ended up in an amazing place is not a story. It's a recipe for a douchebag. The story of how you're a pathetic person who did a pathetic thing and remained pathetic is also not a story, it's a recipe for a sad sack." my fave quote.
"Failure is more engaging than success. You want to hear about the baseball player that ost the world series rather than the one who won it. you don't want to be a hero. Human's love underdogs...the line between a hero and insufferable person is a thin one".
The ending must be the opposite of the beginning. "I was unhappy and now I'm not, I was once uncertain but now I know.." This is also how you can guess how a movie will end.
"A written story is like a lake, and oral story is a river" Lakes you can pause and control the speed. Rivers is always flowing so you want your story to flow so listeners don't get stuck or confused and get out of the river.
Stories like movies - always start with movement, put them right there. "I'm in my car driving to walgreens or off a cliff, etc" We listen to stories to find out what happens next. We want to know the plan so we can root for you. "The goal is to provide a cinematic experience of the mind." so always provide a physical location for the listeners. if they can't see the location, the film has stopped running. You need action, specificity and setting.
Great ideas for giving a grad talk.
asking kids to write about their weekend - "Don't tell me everything. I don't need a timeline or a list. Tell me the most interesting or compelling thing and share"
Better to zig and zag using but and therefore rather than And. don't take a straight line to get there.
The secret to a big story is make it little by finding what will connect you to the listener. not a step by step accounting of a birth but a look at the horror and beauty of the unexpected.
Chop the story down. "If I had more time I would have written you a shorter letter" - Blaise Pascal. "Brevity takes time and is better. The longer you speak the more captivating you must be. "It require careful construction and clever crafting".
In closing, if we are in front of an audience for whatever reason - a funeral, a sermon, a pitch, we have a duty to be entertaining. And it's an opportunity. People learn better when you entertain, engage and inform. You'll be a better coach, CEO, teacher, parent, teacher, presenter and date.
When people ask about your day, share one moment, rather than the list of things you got done. When you open up, it tends to make the other person open up and then you have connection and meaningful relationships.
April 20, 2021
I admire people who can tell effective stories. Matthew Dicks does a fabulous job explaining how to tell them. I've taken a few notes here, but I may have to purchase this book. I definitely need to practice the ideas he suggests. Dicks has convinced me that knowing how to tell good stories will improve my social interactions and help me be a more effective influence.
Dicks tells some of his own stories throughout the book. This keeps it entertaining and interesting. He uses his stories as a teaching tool.
The stories he's talking about are true stories. At the same time, he explains "permissible lies:"
*Leaving out unnecessary details
*Compressing time
*Assuming details that make sense that may have been forgotten
*"Conflation," which is when story tellers, "push all the emotion of an event into a single time frame."
Some other concepts from the book I want to remember:
*To be interesting and effective, every story needs a five-second transformative moment.
*Make sure the setting is clear from the beginning. Fewer settings is better.
*The beginning of the story shows the opposite of your five-second moment. Start the story as close to that moment as possible.
*How to increase stakes:
1) The "backpack," "loading up the audience with all the storyteller's hopes and fears" before moving the story forward.
2) "Breadcrumbs," "Hint at a future event, but only reveal enough to keep the audience guessing."
3) "Hourglasses," before reaching the transformative moment, "slow things down" through description.
4) "Crystal balls," making it easy to make a false prediction of what could happen.
5) "Humor," a way to "keep an audience's attention" through less-compelling sections.
*Using "but and therefore" instead of "and." This moves a story forward as opposed to a string of "and" events that run on and on. I was thinking this shows conflict. He says, "They signal change." "Zigs and zags" give the story energy.
*When to use humor:
1) "Start with a laugh,"
2) "Make 'em laugh before you make 'em cry,"
3) Comic relief,
4) To transition to another emotion.
* Humor strategies:
1) "Use language to carefully build your tower while saving the funniest thing for last."
2) "Two things that rarely go together are pushed together, humor often results."
3) "Humor is optional. Heart is nonnegotiable."
I recommend this book.
Dicks tells some of his own stories throughout the book. This keeps it entertaining and interesting. He uses his stories as a teaching tool.
The stories he's talking about are true stories. At the same time, he explains "permissible lies:"
*Leaving out unnecessary details
*Compressing time
*Assuming details that make sense that may have been forgotten
*"Conflation," which is when story tellers, "push all the emotion of an event into a single time frame."
Some other concepts from the book I want to remember:
*To be interesting and effective, every story needs a five-second transformative moment.
*Make sure the setting is clear from the beginning. Fewer settings is better.
*The beginning of the story shows the opposite of your five-second moment. Start the story as close to that moment as possible.
*How to increase stakes:
1) The "backpack," "loading up the audience with all the storyteller's hopes and fears" before moving the story forward.
2) "Breadcrumbs," "Hint at a future event, but only reveal enough to keep the audience guessing."
3) "Hourglasses," before reaching the transformative moment, "slow things down" through description.
4) "Crystal balls," making it easy to make a false prediction of what could happen.
5) "Humor," a way to "keep an audience's attention" through less-compelling sections.
*Using "but and therefore" instead of "and." This moves a story forward as opposed to a string of "and" events that run on and on. I was thinking this shows conflict. He says, "They signal change." "Zigs and zags" give the story energy.
*When to use humor:
1) "Start with a laugh,"
2) "Make 'em laugh before you make 'em cry,"
3) Comic relief,
4) To transition to another emotion.
* Humor strategies:
1) "Use language to carefully build your tower while saving the funniest thing for last."
2) "Two things that rarely go together are pushed together, humor often results."
3) "Humor is optional. Heart is nonnegotiable."
I recommend this book.
July 24, 2021
I thought this book would be a very good guide on how to improve my storytelling skills so I could be more expressive while telling stories. I was mistaken.
The author straight-up shows how opinionated he is about what a story is and what is not. Your drinking stories, your vacation stories, anecdotes does not meet his requirements. He even goes further by defining a number of rules about why these stories do not matter. He argues that these are the roller-coasters and cotton candies of the story world. Supremely fun and delicious, but ultimately forgettable. Don't expect to make someone fall in love with you, don't expect people to change their opinions on an important matter or feel more connected to you through these stories. Guess what? Some people want to learn how to tell anecdotes.
Further on he continues emphasizing the effectiveness of the story on the audience. So much competitiveness, so much underlining on performance. Where is the entertainment?
Let's say you want to tell a funny story; "Remember that the goal of a storyteller is not to tell a funny story. The goal is to tell a story that moves an audience emotionally."
Matthew Dicks, ladies and gentlemen! Explaining why he thinks your stories are not, as the title says, Storyworthy.
The author straight-up shows how opinionated he is about what a story is and what is not. Your drinking stories, your vacation stories, anecdotes does not meet his requirements. He even goes further by defining a number of rules about why these stories do not matter. He argues that these are the roller-coasters and cotton candies of the story world. Supremely fun and delicious, but ultimately forgettable. Don't expect to make someone fall in love with you, don't expect people to change their opinions on an important matter or feel more connected to you through these stories. Guess what? Some people want to learn how to tell anecdotes.
Further on he continues emphasizing the effectiveness of the story on the audience. So much competitiveness, so much underlining on performance. Where is the entertainment?
Let's say you want to tell a funny story; "Remember that the goal of a storyteller is not to tell a funny story. The goal is to tell a story that moves an audience emotionally."
Matthew Dicks, ladies and gentlemen! Explaining why he thinks your stories are not, as the title says, Storyworthy.
January 14, 2022
3.5? My brother Kevin RAVES about this book. If you ever meet him, there’s a 70% chance that he brings this book up something’s he’s learned from it.
Storyworthy is an interesting listen that helps you craft stories more poignantly and powerfully. We tell stories all the time so might as well learn to tell them right!
I learned a lot and want to implement the things Matthew talked about - which is actually saying a lot considering I read tons of books and don’t take any meaningful action afterwards. So maybe it deserves a 4?
Some highlights about storytelling
- start it as close to the end as possible
- the beginning should be opposite of the end
- every story can be summarized in a 5 second moment of learning. If there isn’t that 5 second moment, then you don’t have a story but just anecdote.
- avoid “and”
- you don’t have to live an incredible life to have stories to tell. Look for them.
Storyworthy is an interesting listen that helps you craft stories more poignantly and powerfully. We tell stories all the time so might as well learn to tell them right!
I learned a lot and want to implement the things Matthew talked about - which is actually saying a lot considering I read tons of books and don’t take any meaningful action afterwards. So maybe it deserves a 4?
Some highlights about storytelling
- start it as close to the end as possible
- the beginning should be opposite of the end
- every story can be summarized in a 5 second moment of learning. If there isn’t that 5 second moment, then you don’t have a story but just anecdote.
- avoid “and”
- you don’t have to live an incredible life to have stories to tell. Look for them.
July 26, 2022
Whoa. This is a super awesome book on storytelling.
The title sounds like a cheesy self-help book, but it surprised me. I expected it to be like a typical non-fiction book, but it reads like a beautiful novel.
The author tells many powerful stories of his life and explains how we can also learn to tell stories. Not just fantasy stories, but authentic and honest stories of our lives that can connect with people. I never was aware of the storytelling communities or the art of storytelling. I knew standup comedy, screenwriting, and novels are ways of crucial storytelling. But I was thrilled to discover the world of storytellers, The Moth GrandSLAM, through this book.
I will dig deep into the rabbit hole of storytellers and workshops on this topic. Why wouldn't I want to entertain the people I love and respect with some genuine, authentic, and vulnerable stories of my life!
Damn, this is my best book of the year. Period.
The title sounds like a cheesy self-help book, but it surprised me. I expected it to be like a typical non-fiction book, but it reads like a beautiful novel.
The author tells many powerful stories of his life and explains how we can also learn to tell stories. Not just fantasy stories, but authentic and honest stories of our lives that can connect with people. I never was aware of the storytelling communities or the art of storytelling. I knew standup comedy, screenwriting, and novels are ways of crucial storytelling. But I was thrilled to discover the world of storytellers, The Moth GrandSLAM, through this book.
I will dig deep into the rabbit hole of storytellers and workshops on this topic. Why wouldn't I want to entertain the people I love and respect with some genuine, authentic, and vulnerable stories of my life!
Damn, this is my best book of the year. Period.
October 29, 2020
The first few chapters fundamentally steer the book away from the promise of the subtitle.
January 17, 2022
Well, that was interesting.
I picked up this book because I love stories and storytelling - so anything that might give some tips on how to do it better is worth a read to me.
The title does feel a little too "self-help-y" and the first part falls into all those stereotypes of bad self-help books - full of autobiographical notes that do not seem related to the topic of the book... But then the meat of the book is revealed - the author actually dissects his own stories, and shows us how they are created - the various "tricks" (methods really..) he uses to concentrate these stories and make them memorable and impactful.
Its great!
I liked that he listed a whole bunch of "daily exercises" to build up a backlog of potential stories, a bunch of methods of how to turn a "catalog of things happening" into a real story, and how to focus a story from a mediocre one into a great one.
Admittedly, this is a book by a storyteller so I should have expected a lot of storytelling in it - but it still grated on my nerves a little too much. Also, this book is aimed at an audience of spoken stories rather than written/filmed stories, so the emphasis is on spoken presentation and speaking to an audience (topics I am not interested in, so I am not the target audience), so there was a bunch of material here that didn't connect with me.
But the bits that did connect (about 2/3 of the book) really great stuff.
I picked up this book because I love stories and storytelling - so anything that might give some tips on how to do it better is worth a read to me.
The title does feel a little too "self-help-y" and the first part falls into all those stereotypes of bad self-help books - full of autobiographical notes that do not seem related to the topic of the book... But then the meat of the book is revealed - the author actually dissects his own stories, and shows us how they are created - the various "tricks" (methods really..) he uses to concentrate these stories and make them memorable and impactful.
Its great!
I liked that he listed a whole bunch of "daily exercises" to build up a backlog of potential stories, a bunch of methods of how to turn a "catalog of things happening" into a real story, and how to focus a story from a mediocre one into a great one.
Admittedly, this is a book by a storyteller so I should have expected a lot of storytelling in it - but it still grated on my nerves a little too much. Also, this book is aimed at an audience of spoken stories rather than written/filmed stories, so the emphasis is on spoken presentation and speaking to an audience (topics I am not interested in, so I am not the target audience), so there was a bunch of material here that didn't connect with me.
But the bits that did connect (about 2/3 of the book) really great stuff.
March 6, 2024
He had some good points but oml this could have been a bulleted list. 😳😳😳 Still have 30 minutes of audio left but I could not get through it. Anyway I liked the idea of capturing the most memorable moment of your day in a sentence or two daily so I’ve been doing that when I remember and it’s kinda fun to look back on
Example entry from 2/15: there’s a USPS 2 minutes away from us but I drove 8 miles away to the wrong one 🤡
Example entry from 2/15: there’s a USPS 2 minutes away from us but I drove 8 miles away to the wrong one 🤡
March 15, 2024
Biggest takeaway ~ Homework for Life💖
That aside an absolute banger of a book.
For the longest time, I felt as though I lacked any significant memories from childhood to my early 20s.
Enter Matthew Dicks and his book which made me not only cherish the Storyworthy moments of my now, but also opened my eyes to the countless moments from my past - from stealing a barbie sticker as a 5-year-old child to getting into trouble for throwing a paper plane that landed point straight into my Hindi Teachers' XD thick hair.
Truly grateful to have read this book❤️✨️
That aside an absolute banger of a book.
For the longest time, I felt as though I lacked any significant memories from childhood to my early 20s.
Enter Matthew Dicks and his book which made me not only cherish the Storyworthy moments of my now, but also opened my eyes to the countless moments from my past - from stealing a barbie sticker as a 5-year-old child to getting into trouble for throwing a paper plane that landed point straight into my Hindi Teachers' XD thick hair.
Truly grateful to have read this book❤️✨️
May 7, 2020
I listened to the audible.com version of the book, narrated by the author. It was excellent. Found myself motivated to begin his recommended 'Homework For Life' practice.
December 19, 2021
Read as summary and loved the insights this book offers. The rating is purely based on the content (minus all the fluff if any) because I read detailed summaries.
The daily habit of focussing on the highlight 5 second story of the day is great one to start building. Hopefully next year!
The daily habit of focussing on the highlight 5 second story of the day is great one to start building. Hopefully next year!
June 4, 2022
کتابی درباره نکات داستان سرایی، نکات مطرح شده تا حدی برام بدیهی بود. کتاب خوبیه برای کسایی که نوع محتوانویسیشون بر اساس داستان شخصیته، مثه بلاگ شخصی یا کپشن های لینکدین و یا اینکه سخنران و مدرس هستند.
August 16, 2022
Absolutely fantastic. Many tips and tricks. What's more, the author lives in my town and my daughter goes to school with his daughter. ( I had no idea when I picked this up at our town library.) I will aim to do the work of applying these tips to my conversations and lessons. Everyone loves a good story. I'd love to learn to both recognize these story-worthy moments and tell them with the goal of deepening connections with others.
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