Stories

Every time someone is writing for the media they are telling a story.  We were informed Wednesday that there are ten and only ten different types of stories.  Professor Jenkins seems rather confident that those ten are near impossible to find and will reveal them later in the semester.  There are simple necessities for every story which include characters (at least two), conflict and resolution.  There is also always a beginning, middle and end.  After the basics there are a couple ways to keep your audience engaged. The first is by selling your story to them.  As a story teller you need to let your audience know why they need to hear your story. Let them know what's in it for them. The other is to only have one idea per story.  By doing this you will be able to keep your story concise and focused.  There is a reason so many stories have been around for so long.  They give valuable information or lessons.  Most stories that we all heard as children were meant to teach us something that wouldn't have been understood just by telling us.  People remember stories. They are engaging, easy to understand, easy to believe and easy to share.  Those characteristics make stories the perfect vessel to convey a message.