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A modular storytelling framework designed for self-directed learning

What Is Storytelling?

Film and TV writers, directors, and actors are professional storytellers. So are people in advertising, marketing, sales, and PR. Journalists. CEOs. Entrepreneurs. Leaders. What do all these groups have in… read more
Entertainment vs. Business Storytelling

Storytelling is typically thought of as an art form within the world of entertainment, with the goal of getting and keeping the audience’s attention. Outside Hollywood, in the business world,… read more
Story

A story is simply this: a HERO wants a GOAL despite an OBSTACLE. These three elements are the core DNA of any story. And, like DNA, even a small change… read more
Hero

The hero of a given story is the entity who wants one particular goal very badly despite there being a massive, insurmountable obstacle to that goal. We identify the hero… read more
Decision-Maker

The decision-maker is the hero of a business story. The term “decision-maker” has near-synonyms such as hero, stakeholder, influencer, boss, even plural entities such as the “target market.” However, in… read more
Goal

The goal is whatever the hero wants MOST. The term “goal” has many near-synonyms such as mission, vision, purpose, intent, objective, milestone, outcome, need, key performance indicator, the “promised land,”… read more
Obstacle

The obstacle is whatever is MOST in the way. The term “obstacle” has many near-synonyms, e.g., in entertainment “antagonist,” or in business the “pain point,” “what keeps X awake at… read more
Theme

The theme is the core question or thesis of a story. To be clear, I’m talking about THE theme here, the core DNA story element. Not the umbrella or subsidiary… read more
Genre

Genre is the category into which a story fits based on audience expectations. It is a key story element in storytelling for entertainment. Genres typically refer to what I’m calling… read more
Singularity

The principle of singularity is there can be only ONE of each story element. Quick story…. A while back, I was at a book marketing conference watching a speech by… read more

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