People say I have an impeccable way of storytelling.

Here's how I [storytell].

The universe is made of stories, not of atoms.

— Muriel Rukeyser

Source: Unsplash

I have written hundreds of short stories and a few long ones. My LinkedIn is filled with them. I’ve heard people applauding me for my storytelling. They ask me about the secret sauce behind it, and I used to say there’s none.

Still, I will tell you how I write my stories.

Fasten your seat belts and get ready to know my secret sauce.

Spoiler: It’s not surprising.

1. Stories don’t need hooks (make it hookless).

Almost all of my story posts are hookless. The first line of your story is what you have to work on. Give a gist of what you are about to say (see an example below).

I’ve found that the words you use in your daily life, when speaking to your family and friends, are the words that need to be used in stories. Like your parents used to tell you stories of monsters when you were not eating food.

They start with: There was a huge monster with big-big eyes…

Isn’t it attractive? I’ve applied it in my stories, and people loved it. It went like this: There were three addicts, two were alcoholics and one was a smoker… I know you want to know further. What’s next? Right?

That’s what you have to do with your stories: create suspense and make them curious to know more. Use common and attractive words.

2. Don’t miss out tiny details (say everything).

You tell your best friend about everything you did when you were in Nepal. Do the same, write everything down in your stories.

"Today I woke up at 10, too late, but I chose to make my bed – I unfolded the sheets, rubbed the dust in it, then folded it and kept it nicely, and then I gave a warm hug with my hands to the cushions, putting them to sleep. After that, I walked away to freshen up..."

There’s nothing in the above three lines. They are just words. I built a story with them by going into detail. Detailing keeps the flow and in stories; flow matters. If there’s no flow, there’s no story.

That’s why I told you in the first place not to add hooks in your stories. It breaks the flow. Keep up the good flow!

3. Say it (every inch of it).

The one way to stand out with your stories is to remove the filters and write from the bottom of your heart. When writing about your own experience, keep in mind that you don’t need to filter out.

I wrote a story a year ago where I poured everything my heart told me. I wrote about what happened when the sun rose and didn’t stop until night. I shared every inch of it.

You can read the story here:

A story of a boy who loved and friendzoned himself

Winding up.

1. Stories don’t need hooks (make it hookless)

2. Don’t miss tiny details (say everything and keep up the flow)

3. Say it (every inch of it)

Your story matters, and it needs to be told. Write it and give it to the world.

“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”

— Maya Angelou

Sumit,
Curator of Simple Digest

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