Draft Your Narrative
Your story matters, and the way you tell it is up to you. Experiment with telling your story; notice how highlighting different moments or insights can illuminate different parts of who you are.
Draft Your Narrative
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Your story matters, and the way you tell it is up to you. Experiment with telling your story; notice how highlighting different moments or insights can illuminate different parts of who you are.
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Start by thinking about a recent experience that impacted you, such as working towards a goal or project that’s important to you. Jot down any moments that stand out to you most about this experience, such as choices you made, people you spent time with, or things you learned along the way.
Spend 10-15 minutes in a place where you feel comfortable and are able to focus. Write out the details of your story that matter to you. You can use this template as a guide, or free write if you’re feeling inspired by a certain direction. Try to let go of your inner critic and just let your story flow! There will be time to make edits later.
My story
1. subject
What is the subject of your experience or project?
2. MEANING
Why was this topic important to you?
3. PROCESS
Describe your process. Did you encounter any challenges?
4. IMPACT
What impact did this project or experience have?
5. INSIGHTS
What did you discover about yourself along the way?
6. FUTURE
What do you want to try next or continue working on?
How can you tell your story in a way that conveys your meaning to others? After you have written out the details of your story that come to mind, look through these tips for effective storytelling. Return to your story and use any of these ideas to flesh out your writing more.
Let your audience experience the event with you by using lots of detail and imagery – including the who, what, when, where, and why.
Combine your personal experience with a takeaway that others can relate to. What did you learn that might apply to others as well?
Share a bit about the journey you went on. Include the highs and lows, a challenge, or a resolution.
Focus on a message you want to share. Once you have a clear end in mind, consider which details are important to this theme and which can be cut.
Look to your own reflections for inspiration. Have any insights come about from this story? What did you realize?
End by connecting the past to the future. Based on the story you told, what do you want to do next? How could this story impact your future?
Reach out to someone in your life who you think would provide helpful feedback. Without focusing on a specific medium or format for now, share your story with them by reading it aloud. Ask your listener to capture any thoughts, reactions, or ideas they have as you go. You can always repeat this process with another person if you want more feedback.
Using the feedback you received, keep developing your story and try it out in the medium you think will tell this story best. As you evolve this story and medium, you might add or remove details, revise your framing, or experiment with pacing. Get your story to a place where you feel comfortable sharing it with others — you might not feel completely ready to share or be a little nervous, but it doesn’t need to be perfect.
Check out the Mixing Mediums activity for ideas on storytelling mediums
You previously chose this medium from the Mixing Mediums activity.
Revisit for more ideas.
Stories are all around you and some resonate more than others. Consider your favorite movie— what parts do you love? Now consider a movie you dislike. Break it down into building blocks— how would you rearrange them to be something you do like? What does this tell you about your storytelling style?
It’s important to have a theme in mind when writing a story, but sometimes you won’t see what the story is actually about until you’ve made it to the end of it. Is there a story you want to tell about yourself? Write a short draft and make it to the ending— what did you learn? Now rewrite it.
Storytelling has always been a way that humans connect with each other and communicate. Ask a friend to tell you about a time where they stood up for something, made a tough decision, or saw something from a new perspective. See what you learn about your friend and how it might change your view.
