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NFPW
2002 Highlights
The
Art of the Storyteller
Ann Wylie claims storytelling is the most powerful form of human
communication. She believes in the power of anecdotes. She extols
the strength of human emotion. And she encourages writers to seek
the moment of change upon which every story turns.
Employing the techniques she preaches, Wylie convinced the NFPW
audience that whoever tells the best story wins.
Good storytelling, Wylie said, holds our attention, builds credibility,
lingers in our minds, humanizes causes and sells ideas. So important
is storytelling, she said, if the writer has a point to make,
then a story should be found to illustrate it. Conversely, Wylie
said, “If you have a great story, you should find a point.”
Advocating divorce from the inverted pyramid, she offered the
IPSR or Introduction, Problem, Solution and Result template as
an alternative. However, she advised, “Start with the problem.
Storytelling builds from the problem to the result.”
To find the pivotal point of a person’s life upon which
to hook the story, Wylie encouraged the audience to ask “When?”She
said everyone has critical moments of pain, change, crisis or
decision in their lives. “Whatever happened to make them
change is the story.”
Once that pivotal moment has been defined, then the writer —
like a novelist — can decide how to develop the story’s
characters, plot and action, building to the punch line or emotional
payoff at the end. “Suspense,” she said, “is the
literary device that pulls the reader through the story. It is
the most powerful form of action.” When a writer puts the
punch line in the lead, Wylie said, the storytelling ends before
it starts.
To hone storytelling skills, Wylie encouraged the audience to:
Read publications for the sake of good writing. Start an “I
wish I’d written that” file. Read as a writer. And adapt
the techniques of exceptional writers.
Quoting T.S. Elliot, she concluded, “Amateurs plagiarize,
good writers steal.” Steal away.
– Cathy Jelsing
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