You have so many stories, experiences, and insights you want to share -- on social media or to email subscribers -- but where do you begin?
How can you craft your words into something that's not only helpful for your readers' lives, but also compelling, memorable, and joyful to read?
The short answer? Storytelling.
Stories hook our imaginations & ignite our emotions.
Stories make a lesson or teaching point memorable.
Stories reveal your personality to your readers and potential students, which help them get to know you....
...and will make them more likely to want to learn from you.
The long answer will be explored through these blogs and on my brand-new podcast.
Ok, so how do you tell compelling stories your readers won't forget?
⚡ IMAGERY + DIALOGUE⚡
Here's an example from a recent email I sent out to my list:
"Guess I'm gonna have to do 50 chatturangas for this," I joked, fork at the ready, Chocolate Lava Supreme on the plate before me.
I was out to dinner with friends a few years ago -- yoga people. One of them is my longtime pal and fellow teacher, who grew up in India and has a deep practice.
He raised an eyebrow and titled his head -- the way he always does when he's about to school me, which is often and necessary.
“Melissa,” he said, “if you’re going to eat the cake, enjoy the damn cake.
If you’re going to feel guilty while you’re doing it, then why are you doing it?”
He was right, of course.
My sarcastic comment was a cheap Band-Aid for my guilt, to sabotage the otherwise pure pleasure of a decadent dessert. (Speaking of bliss, my pal went on to tell me that certain schools of yoga outline low-grade states of samadhi which include the bliss of eating delicious food.)
I could go on about this...
...but that's not the point of this message to you.
The point of this message is to demonstrate 2 of the MOST POWERFUL WRITING techniques you can use when communicating online -- whether it's on a blog, a sales page, or your next social media post.
⚡ IMAGERY makes your words memorable. It keeps your readers engaged in a sea of online noise ("chocolate lava supreeeme").
⚡ DIALOGUE helps energize an anecdote and reveal personality.
People don't read blocks of text with long-winded descriptions of your childhood cat's temperament (unless you're a Cat Psychic or a Cat Groomer). Dialogue lets your characters speak for themselves, helps move the story along, and adds liveliness to your stories.
Next time you share a personal anecdote, consider injecting some concrete imagery and a line of dialogue to bring your words to life.
Also.......I've employed more than these 2 techniques in the above example, but I'll save those for later posts.
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