I heard a wonderful presentation recently about storytelling. It’s entirely possible to tell a very compelling story without using pictures. Instead, you paint a picture with the words you use.
To see what I mean, check out The Girl Effect. www.girleffect.org.
Then think about what you see in your mind’s eye as you watched the video.
Cool, huh?
What stories can you tell about the work your nonprofit does that will paint such a vivid picture in your reader’s mind’s eye?
To me that’s the sign of an excellent writer. One who can truly paint a picture so vivid in your mind that you can almost reach out and touch what they are describing. I love reading stories like that.
Wish I was that talented.
Me too. What I found interesting about this video is that it’s all words – no pictures, and yet I can clearly see in my mind’s eye what the video is describing.
Sandy
What a powerful video! And all without pictures, except the ones in our heads. I think we are all capable of making pictures with our words if we are very clear about what our VISION is. If we are successful with the cause that is near and dear to our heart, what will be the outcome for the planet?
Linda, I think the outcome is anything and everything! Anything our hearts desire.
Sandy
Sandy, I had a great experience with exactly what you’re talking about. A friend was telling a story in front of an audience. The vividness of her words created a wonderful image in our minds. I had even inserted a tiny detail in my mind thinking she had said those words. I became to immersed in her words I added my own image. Thanks for the reminder.
The best storytellers are those conscious that they are indeed telling a story; a story that leverages the power of implicit meaning. When others are engaged in the story by visualizing it in their mind (why most books are better than the movie), that means there is a good storyteller in action. Thanks Sandy, Jeff
Hope you don’t mind another comment. I would like to share a great story with no words and no pictures. I was feeding ducks one day at our neighborhood pond. A van drove up and the children inside looked at the bag of bread I had and watched what I was doing. Without one word spoken I offered the bread to them. The looks on their faces were priceless. It’s as if I offered them a million dollars. I’ll never forget their excitement, their happiness and what a treat it was for them to come feed the ducks. All with one motion of holding a bag of bread up – no words, no pictures.
Awesome story Beth!
I think it is sometimes important to tell a story without images- the images we create in our mind, conjured by a talented writer and powerful words, stem from our subconscious and mean much more to us than a physical image from someone else. It’s like reading a book and having an idea of the lead character in your mind, then seeing the movie and the character looks different. I’m not as invested in the story because it doesn’t resonate with my brain. A strong story without words can do that. Loved the video and the cause.
I’ve been to storytelling workshops before, but none was as compelling as that video. Wow! Thanks for sharing that!