Michael Hauge's Blog

Greetings –

If you’re reading this article, and especially if you keep reading to the very end, I’m fairly certain I can predict two things about you:

You’re a storyteller.You want to be better at it.

The first guess was easy. Because we are ALL storytellers. Whether you see yourself that way or not, from the time you were wearing diapers, as soon as you could string enough words together to talk about something that happened to you, you became a storyteller.

The second prediction grows out of the fact that my entire career is about helping people tell better stories that will have a deeper impact on audiences and readers.

If you’re an entrepreneur, filmmaker, author, marketer, consultant or speaker, you must tell emotionally captivating stories in order to grow your business and help people live better.

So if I’m right about those two things, then I have a third prediction I’m pretty sure is also true:

Even if you’re a blockbuster screenwriter, a bestselling author or a 6-figure business leader, before long you’ll again be asking yourself, “What is my NEXT story going to be about?”

And your inevitable frustration, panic or despair will take one of two forms:

If you’re a film or fiction writer, it’ll be the terror of the blank page.If you’re an entrepreneur, because your stories are about yourself, your successful customers, or your role models, you’ll tell yourself, “A million things have happened to me and my clients. So how am I supposed to find the one that will make a good story?”

But never fear. I’m going to tell you the VERY FIRST STEP you should take on your quest to find your next great story.

Storytelling Step #1: LOOK FOR  DESIRE.

Because we’re now in the thick of the holiday season, let’s take a look at the movie ELF. Chances are that the origin of the story was the idea of making a Christmas movie about one of Santa’s elves.

I don’t know whether that was screenwriter David Berenbaum’s original concept, or if someone else pitched it to him, but somebody probably figured, “There are about a hundred movies about Santa Claus, why don’t we make one about one of his helpers?”  

Great idea!

But to put that story in motion, the first question Berenbaum had to answer was, “What does this elf want? What will drive the action of the story and take it toward an emotional ending? What will audiences be rooting for?”

His answer became this simple concept:

Buddy, an orphan raised by Santa’s elves, is told by Papa Elf that he is actually a human. So buddy goes on a quest to find his biological father in New York City.

In the course of the film, Buddy will eventually want to overcome his father’s rejection, find true love, help save his father’s business, and ultimately rescue Santa himself. But that initial desire is the source of all of the others, and turned an idea into an actual story with real potential.

If you’re a storyteller who lives in the world of make believe, just imagine something the hero of a story might want. Your subconscious might present that idea to you in response to something you saw or heard – even another book or movie. Or maybe you have no idea where the idea came from. It doesn’t matter.

The starting point of your own screenplay or novel might just  be  a real or imagined character who intrigues you, whom you want to explore and develop, and with whom your audience will empathize. But until you identify what that character desires, all you’ll have is a situation, or a series of events with no emotional payoff.

If you’re telling stories for business, where your goal is to persuade people to take action, you don’t have to wait for an idea to bubble up from your subconscious. Just ask yourself, “What is something that I desperately wanted in the past?”

Whether it was winning someone’s love, making a million bucks, overcoming a physical challenge, or just finding a perfect hot fudge sundae, if it drove you to action, you’re ready to begin your story.

If you ask the same question about the desires of former clients and customers, and you or your product helped them pursue those goals or solve those problems  in some way, then dozens more stories will appear.

All that matters is this: if you think other people might enjoy a story about someone pursuing one of those desires, you’re ready to go to work.

No more blank page; and no more overwhelm.

My final prediction is that you’re thinking, “But what do I do next? How do I know if people will be interested? What if it’s not a story worth telling?” 

Don’t worry. In upcoming newsletters, I’m going to dive deeper into the qualities of desire, along with the three other essential elements that form the foundation of every great story.

But this article is about finding a possible story. A minute ago you had nothing at all to work with. And now you do.

So I have an assignment for you:

In the midst of your shopping, wrapping and celebrating, I want you to come up with three possible story ideas for your next speech, screenplay, webinar, book or blog, based on a DESIRE the hero of your story might pursue.

Then just fill in the blank of this sentence:

My hero wants to _______________________ .

[“Hero” is simply my term for the protagonist or main character of a story. It might be you or someone you knew if it’s a true story, or just a fictional character you know nothing about yet.This character won’t necessarily be heroic, though they are likely to become heroic in the course of your story. More about that in a future article.]PLEASE don’t worry about whether these are good ideas. They won’t be – YET. I just want them to be story concepts that sound fun for you to explore.

If you start coming up with more ideas about any of the concepts, great! Jot them down and keep playing with them. But to prepare for the next step, all you need is three of those sentences.

And I’ll guide you to your next steps.

Until then…

Happy Holidays

The post Finding a Great Story appeared first on Welcome to Story Mastery - Michael Hauge Site.

Welcome back…

Judging by your responses to this series of emails, the “Joy Ride” video touched many of you deeply. So for my last Story Mastery newsletter of 2023, I’d like to share a couple additional thoughts about why.

In case you missed the previous installments of this series, here is the video: watch the video

Here are the links to my emails:

A Perfect Story: An Introduction

A Perfect Story: The Setup

A Perfect Story: The Outer Journey

A Perfect Story: Climax & Aftermath

The reason I think “Joy Ride” is so effective is that it adheres to one of my core principles for both movies and business stories:

Great stories are simple. 

They may have complex characters, sequences or themes, but their basic plot can be expressed in a single sentence.

Regardless of all the elements I’ve been identifying over the last five days, the log line for “Joy Ride” is this:

In spite of their age, an elderly woman wants to sled to the bottom of a hill with her two friends. 

Every single moment of the story grows out of that simple statement of hero, desire and conflict.

Think of any movie, TV episode, novel, or business story you’ve truly loved – regardless of the length – and it can be reduced to a similar short sentence or two.

And out of this simplicity comes the essential quality that “Joy Ride” and any other story must possess:

Great stories must elicit EMOTION.

The ONLY way your story can entertain, enlighten, persuade or inspire your readers and audiences is if it makes them feel. 

And whether your arena is film, fiction or business, you must do all four. 

When I first began expanding from Hollywood into the world of speaking and marketing, I thought they were totally separate worlds. My website is even divided that way, because the types and lengths of stories, and the commercial considerations, are different.

But I have come to realize that in essence, when it comes to storytelling, these two “worlds” are exactly the same.

If you’re a marketer, speaker, business leader or non-fiction author, you have to entertain. 

You must captivate and transport your prospects and followers, and create a “movie” inside their minds. You must make them feel something, so they will connect with you, believe in you, take the action that will change their lives for the better, and make you successful.

And if you’re a screenwriter, filmmaker or novelist, you’re ALSO a marketer. 

Not just marketing your script or book, or even getting butts in seats. I mean your story must be designed to sell something to your readers.

Your story not only must entertain, it must persuade your readers to take action. You want to sell them on your vision of how they can make their own lives, or the world around them, better.

I rarely referred to “Joy Ride” as an ad, even though it was made by Amazon in an attempt to lure customers and sales. But the company name never appears in the video – only the smile logo. Because Amazon wanted this story to strengthen their brand. 

In business, branding means conveying a sense of the feelings associated with working with you or your business.

And Amazon knows that stories connect to our subconscious. That’s where our feelings reside; it’s how stories give us the emotional experience of the journey the hero takes.

As we get choked up or smile at “Joy Ride,” we associate friendship, generosity, nostalgia, connection and even courage with ordering that familiar cardboard box, and bringing happiness to our loved ones.

The closing message, “Joy is shared,” is immediately followed by the smiling Amazon arrow. And that message is planted in our subconscious.

If you’re now feeling manipulated by this video you loved so much, just know that of course you were.

But then understand that that’s what great stories are supposed to do. They reach our subconscious by giving us emotional experiences that help us change.

Just be sure that the stories you tell will help the people who hear them live better, more courageous and fulfilling lives.

And if Amazon uses “Joy Ride” to persuade us that courage and generosity will lead to joy, love and connection, then I think that’s just fine.

For the next 4 days only, I am making all my books and recordings available for 50% OFF.

Just go to the StoryMastery.com SHOP,  choose anything you want (excluding my digital books that sell through Amazon), then enter the coupon code JOYRIDE when you check out. It will all be yours for 50% off.

This includes my Hollywood StorySelling Master Class – including all the bonuses that come with that program – at half price. That’s A $1000 DISCOUNT.

AND, if you purchase Hollywood StorySelling before the December 26th deadline, all the other products in the store will be thrown in for FREE.

Here’s the link to the store:

COUPON CODE: JOYRIDE

DEADLINE: Midnight TUESDAY, DECEMBER 26th 

AND FINALLY, THAT GIFT I PROMISED… 

Because you’ve stuck with me for five long emails, and as a thank you for your support this entire year, along with the offer above I want to give you a holiday gift.

In case examining our perfect story in such detail became a bit overwhelming, I thought you would appreciate a summary of all the elements that made “Joy Ride” so impactful – and give you a checklist for the stories you create in 2024!

The creators of “Joy Ride” succeeded because they:

Established a vivid setting for the storyIntroduced an empathetic hero living her everyday lifeRevealed how she was stuck in a false identity, tolerating a situation that felt safe and comfortable, but unfulfillingCreated a tipping point which made her question how she might respond to this new situationEstablished a visible goal for her to achieveHad her take action in pursuit of that goalForced her to overcome obstacles and conflict, both external and internal, in order to achieve her goalShowed her moving into her essence as she overcame her fearPortrayed her moment of victory in the climax of the storyRevealed the new life she was now living in the story’s aftermathConveyed a universal theme about how we should all live our lives

… and MY WISH is for you to move into a year filled with love, health, fun, prosperity, fulfillment and lots of great stories as you continue your own Hero’s Journey.

Stay In Your Essence!

– Michael

The post Creating Your Own Perfect Story appeared first on Welcome to Story Mastery - Michael Hauge Site.

JOY IS SHARED…

These are the only words spoken or written on the screen during “The Joy Ride.”

Let’s see how the story brings us to that conclusion.

In case you missed the previous installments of this series,  I have been breaking down the elements that made me refer to this Amazon spot as a perfect, 60-second story:

A Perfect Story: An Introduction

A Perfect Story: The Setup

A Perfect Story: The Outer Journey 

These are the same elements you must include in your own stories for the stage, page or screen, whether you’re growing your business as an entrepreneur, speaker, author, business leader, filmmaker or novelist.

So watch the video one more time to see the final two stages of the story, the CLIMAX and AFTERMATH…

:52 As they all laugh together, the hero and her two lifelong friends slide to a stop at the bottom of the hill. We then see them come together, still laughing as they begin dragging their sleds back up the slope.  

The Climax of your story is a SINGLE EVENT that resolves your hero’s visible goal. You must reveal this. It’s what your readers and audiences have been rooting for, and you have to let them experience the joy or satisfaction of victory (or the sadness or catharsis of death or defeat).

I always refer to this as the finish line the hero wants to cross, and in “Joy Ride” it is literally that. Our hero’s goal was to lead her friends down to the bottom of the hill. So the moment they successfully end that journey is the climax.

But a great story will almost never end the story there. The storyteller has to reveal the new life the hero is living now that they have completed the journey. This AFTERMATH lets the audience experience the rewards of finding the courage to overcome their fears and win.

As they happily unite, with two of them hugging, we see them begin their trek back up the hill – on foot. They are no longer stuck on their bench simply observing others’ joy. They are now participating in the fun. And the implication is that they will now slide back down again.

Which brings us to the hero’s INNER JOURNEY in this story – her transformation from living in fear to living courageously.

I admit that when I first saw this video, with a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes, I was simply swept up in the story. Even after decades of analyzing and talking about movies and television, I never think about these principles the first time I see one. It would spoil the fun and fulfillment of experiencing the emotion of the story..

And even as I realized what a great example it was, and how much I wanted to share my ideas about it with you, I didn’t imagine that a story only sixty seconds long could go deep enough to explore an Inner Journey in depth.

But it’s there.

When we first see the three women on the bench, they are stuck in their IDENTITIES. This is my term for the false selves we present to the world to protect us from our fears. These three characters see themselves as old. And they now use that identity to avoid taking risks.

They aren’t conscious of this. Our identities are designed to keep us safe, and they do so by making us believe this is who I really am. 

So for these three, society’s attitudes, or perhaps their own personal physical setbacks and limitations, have made them afraid of doing something that used to bring them joy.

Although the hero is more robust and proactive than her two friends, even she has succumbed to this identity. She is also there just to watch sledders having fun. Otherwise she would have ordered the cushions before she arrived and brought them with her.

But when she sees the rather forlorn faces of the other two, she has an epiphany. Her desire to slide down the hill like a kid becomes greater than her fear of risking injury, humiliation, or whatever else has been holding her back.

So she stops trying to avoid her fear, and is willing to be afraid. And that Inner Journey from inertia to action is her transformation from living in her identity to living in her ESSENCE. She steps into the truth of who she truly is.

One of my favorite elements of the hero’s journey that Joseph Campbell revealed, and which I learned from my friend Chris Vogler, who brought Joseph Campbell’s principles to Hollywood, is the idea of bringing back the elixir: after completing his or her journey, a triumphant hero returns with a new understanding that then empowers others to change their lives.

In “The Joy Ride” the hero’s courage has transformed the lives of her friends by giving them the courage to step out of their identities and into their essence. And because they all benefit from her elixir, their Joy Is Shared.

This, even more than the emotion of three elderly women getting to be children again, is what makes this story universal. It touches us regardless of our age or sense of nostalgia.

Because we’re all sitting on some kind of bench, watching the world pass by in front of us. We all have some area of our lives where deep down we want to go after what we want, but our fear of risk, pain, failure, humiliation, or loss makes us inert.

Because of wounds from the past, we’re all stuck in identities that keep us safe but unfulfilled, convinced that that’s just who we are.

So when we see stories about heroes who find the courage to step out of their identities, who allow their fear to exist and then move through it to get what they want or need, we have our own subconscious experience of being courageous ourselves.

And when you, as a storyteller, can give people that experience of courage, you’re giving them the elixir that they will take into their own lives.

That is how you can have the greatest impact on your audiences, readers and followers.

And that is how you will transform their lives, and your own.

In the next email of this series, I want to add some final thoughts about the impact of this story, the differences between entertaining, advertising and branding, how stories connect with the subconscious, and how all stories are, in essence, marketing stories.

Happy holidays, and I’ll be back tomorrow with the final installment of this series.

The post A Perfect Story: Climax & Aftermath appeared first on Welcome to Story Mastery - Michael Hauge Site.

Welcome Back!

It’s time to see the hero of our 60-second story pursue her visible goal.

In case you missed my previous two emails (A Perfect Story Introduced, and The Setup) I am breaking down the individual elements that make the Amazon Christmas video “Joy Ride” so emotionally captivating.

These are the same elements you must include in your own stories for the stage, page or screen, whether you’re growing your business as an entrepreneur, speaker, author, business leader, filmmaker or novelist.

In my previous email, the hero of the story was about to begin pursuing her goal (even though we don’t yet know exactly what that is). So watch the video as we move on to the next two stages of the story, her PURSUIT and CONFLICT….

:16 Our hero touches the Add to Cart button on her screen, then gives a satisfied smile towards her companions. We then see her at home bringing in a box with the familiar Amazon arrow, followed by a quick cut to her handing the box to her two friends. After opening it and removing a black cushion, they give her a questioning, skeptical glance. She responds by motioning for them to follow her. 

The moment our hero places the order, she has stopped thinking about what to do for her two companions, and is now taking action to achieve that goal.

When I lecture or coach screenwriters on plot structure, I refer to this moment as the Change of Plans. It’s the moment when a hero takes the first step in pursuing his goal.

In a Hollywood feature film, this event will almost always occur at the 25% mark of the script and movie. While this turning point is not as rigidly required in either a short form business story or longer, more expansive form novel, notice that it occurs 16 seconds into the 60-second “Joy Ride” video – just one second off the mark.

Regardless of the length of, or venue for, your own story, the underlying principle is that you must take time to set up your setting, character and situation rather than dropping your audience immediately into the pursuit of the goal.

But if you take too long before your hero begins pursuing his visible finish line, we’ll become restless waiting for something to root for.

Her friends’ reaction to our hero’s gift (I love that this film is dialogue free, but I kind of wish she was wearing a name tag or embroidered signature on her beret so I wouldn’t have to keep calling her “the hero”) adds some essential conflict to the story. If they lept in the air and ran off to jump on their sleds, it would not only be bizarrely unrealistic, it would make things too easy.

The number one rule for every story you tell – for every story ever told – is that it must elicit emotion. And the number one source of that emotion is conflict. While in “Joy Ride,” the biggest obstacle is the characters’ Inner Conflict (which we’ll discuss tomorrow), the fact that they have to be coaxed onto their now-cushioned sleds adds to the emotion of the story.

:30 The three women place their cushions into three sleds, then once seated, give our hero a nod that they’re ready and willing to go. As they slide down the hill, they laugh and shout gleefully, while two young boys smile as they pass. Then our hero closes her eyes, and we see her memory of the three as children, sliding down the same hill on toboggans.    

In my 6-Stage approach to screenplay plot structure, the Change of Plans is followed by the next key turning point, The Point of No Return. This is the moment where the hero fully commits to pursuing the visible goal. Up to this point, the hero has the option of giving up on his desire and going back to the life he was living at the beginning, where nothing much will have changed.

But if the hero reaches this point and finds the courage to go forward, returning to that “previous” life will be impossible. In love stories or romantic comedies, this is the moment where the two people have a first date, kiss, make love or declare their love for the first time. In thrillers it’s often when the hero does something to alert the villain that he’s a threat.

I don’t often discuss this when working with business leaders, whose stories are much shorter than movies. But even if you’re in that situation, including a moment where your hero has to put more on the line in the middle of his or her journey will make your emotional impact even greater.

In a well structured movie, the Point of No Return is right around the 50% point of the script. And in “Joy Ride” the nod of commitment right before they risk sliding down the hill occurs at exactly the 30-second mark.

Cool, huh?

Their joy at this point is part of their reward for having found the courage to do this – and our hero’s reward for her own kindness, generosity and courage at urging them to do it.

The two boys watching them also add to our emotional reaction. We are both participants and viewers of the story, and our reaction to it is amplified as we see others feeling the same way about what the hero is accomplishing.

Perhaps the most emotional moment in this sequence is the flashback showing our hero’s joyful childhood memory of them sliding down the same hill. (It took me quite a few viewings before I saw that the three young girls were wearing the same color outfits as they now are, some seven decades later.)

We now see clearly what the hero’s goal was. Not just to prove that she and her friends weren’t too old to sled down the hill, but to relive a moment of happiness they might have all thought was far behind them.

So all that remains for my next email is the final two steps in this hero’s story: the Climax and Aftermath. And after discussing those, I want to take a much closer look at my favorite part of almost any great story, the hero’s Inner Journey. 

Don’t miss it….

– Michael

The post A Perfect 60-Second Story: The Outer Journey appeared first on Welcome to Story Mastery - Michael Hauge Site.

Season’s Greetings!

Are you ready to have some fun?

If you saw yesterday’s email, you know that I recently encountered an emotionally captivating, 60-second video that exemplifies all the essential elements of any live, written or recorded story.

And based on the many email responses I received, many of you agreed – and, just like I was, were brought to both tears and joy when they watched it.

So for the next four days I’m going to reveal those essential elements, and how they will make your own stories more emotionally impactful and financially successful. I’ll be sharing the principles for writing a great story, which you must do before you can present it to audiences or readers.

So watch the video with me as I begin with the SETUP:

:00 The opening shot shows us a snow-covered hill with people sledding in the distance, and the backs of three people sitting down to watch the action. Lights and evergreen garlands draped on some fencing establish it’s Christmastime.

Open your story by vividly describing or showing your readers and audiences where it takes place. You want to use specific details (not generalizations) to transport people from the world they occupy into the world you’ve created.

Even when telling your story live, include these details. Tell us about the snow, the sledders, and the Christmas decor. By creating a “movie” in their minds in this way, you allow us to  participate in the action subconsciously, rather than just observe it.

:02 [When an entire story takes place in just 60 seconds, the scenes and turning points will change very quickly.] We now see that the three people on the bench are all elderly women settling in for a while (they’re bundled up, drinking coffee, and one brought a newspaper). Then we see a close up of the tallest of the three, looking at her two companions, then smiling enigmatically towards the hill in front of her. 

You want to establish the hero of your story as soon as possible; show her living her everyday life before she begins pursuing her goal in the story; and create empathy with that character as soon as possible.

This woman is the first one singled out from the group, her height, appearance and demeanor make her seem more robust, that she’s sitting together silently and planning to be there a while implies that she’s friends with them, and while her friends watch the children sledding, this person is watching them. It’s easy to infer that she feels sorry for them.

This is all designed to create empathy with her, because of her likeability (caring about the other two), and because of whatever sympathy we might feel because of her (and her friends’) age.

One other element you want to introduce, however subtly, into the setup is a sense that your hero is stuck – in a state of inertia, usually tolerating a situation rather than taking action to change it. In this case, all three women are the

picture of passivity as we see them observing all the sledding activity in front of them. (We’ll go deeper into this element in a couple days, when we look at the hero’s Inner Journey

:12 Our hero looks at her friends as they watch the kids sledding, then gazes back into the distance.

This VERY quick moment serves as the OPPORTUNITY of the story. It’s the new event that will move the hero of the story to take action.

We’re not immediately aware of the shift, but as a storyteller, you must know what crisis or tipping point moved your hero into a new situation that would transform him from passive to proactive.

This opportunity will always lead the hero to ask herself how she will respond to the new world she has entered. She will usually get help in the form of a guide or sidekick, and finally establish a clear goal that will lead to the finish line of the story.

In “Joy Ride” we discover that the hero had already experienced this. But as we watch this 4-second sequence, it’s presented as a surprise, to satisfy the emotional needs of an opportunity.

As she looks at her phone and we get a very quick glimpse of a non-descript Amazon page, she is about to declare her goal and begin her PURSUIT – the next stage of the story. And that’s where we’ll pick things up in my next email.

– Michael

The post A Perfect 60-Second Story: The Setup appeared first on Welcome to Story Mastery - Michael Hauge Site.

 

Happy Holidays –

If you saw my Advent Calendar newsletter, you know I love counting down to Christmas and the New Year. So for the next 5 days, before vacation begins, I want to offer you A Perfect 60 Second Story.

I rarely sit through TV commercials anymore, since the movies and series I watch are all streamed. But because I wanted to see my alma mater Oregon Duck football team try to make their way to the national championship live, I was kind of forced to sit through them.

Please don’t ask me about the tragedy that befell my favorite team – it’s still painful to think about. But the one wonderful thing that came out of the experience was getting to see a 1-minute ad for Amazon entitled “Joy Ride.”

It’s a terrific Christmas spot, and actually had me choked up by the end. But the wonderful part was when I saw it a second time I realized it embodies ALL of the essential elements of any great story. 

And that makes it a wonderful example to inspire your own storytelling, whether you’re creating a feature film, a novel, or an inspiring, persuasive story for a speech, Zoom presentation, webinar, book, podcast, interview or bio.

So here’s the countdown….

Below is a link to the commercial. Take a look, take note of  your own response, then ask yourself why you reacted the way you did.

Then starting tomorrow I’m going to point out all of the elements I can find that make it an emotionally involving, persuasive and memorable story.

And I’ll alert you now to what I hope you’ll take away from this: if a simple, 60-second story like this can impact people, entertain them, and move them to action, then certainly so can you with whatever story you want to tell, in whatever situation, for whatever lives you want to change.

Enjoy! And I’ll see you tomorrow…

– Michael

Joy Ride | Amazon Holiday Ad

 

The post A Perfect 60-Second Story appeared first on Welcome to Story Mastery - Michael Hauge Site.

 

Happy Holidays –

If you saw my Advent Calendar newsletter, you know I love counting down to Christmas and the New Year. So for the next 5 days, before vacation begins, I want to offer you A Perfect 60 Second Story.

I rarely sit through TV commercials anymore, since the movies and series I watch are all streamed. But because I wanted to see my alma mater Oregon Duck football team try to make their way to the national championship live, I was kind of forced to sit through them.

Please don’t ask me about the tragedy that befell my favorite team – it’s still painful to think about. But the one wonderful thing that came out of the experience was getting to see a 1-minute ad for Amazon entitled “Joy Ride.”

It’s a terrific Christmas spot, and actually had me choked up by the end. But the wonderful part was when I saw it a second time I realized it embodies ALL of the essential elements of any great story. 

And that makes it a wonderful example to inspire your own storytelling, whether you’re creating a feature film, a novel, or an inspiring, persuasive story for a speech, Zoom presentation, webinar, book, podcast, interview or bio.

So here’s the countdown….

Below is a link to the commercial. Take a look, take note of  your own response, then ask yourself why you reacted the way you did.

Then starting tomorrow I’m going to point out all of the elements I can find that make it an emotionally involving, persuasive and memorable story.

And I’ll alert you now to what I hope you’ll take away from this: if a simple, 60-second story like this can impact people, entertain them, and move them to action, then certainly so can you with whatever story you want to tell, in whatever situation, for whatever lives you want to change.

Enjoy! And I’ll see you tomorrow…

– Michael

Joy Ride | Amazon Holiday Ad

 

The post A Perfect 60-second Story appeared first on Welcome to Story Mastery - Michael Hauge Site.

 

Of all the multitude of things I loved about Christmas as a kid, one of my favorites was – and still is – the Advent calendar.

I’m talking about those single page, cardstock calendars that count down the 24 days from December 1st until Christmas Eve. (I’ve never been sure why it doesn’t go all the way to Christmas Day, but since Christmas Eve was when our family opened gifts, it made sense at the time.)

The one we had when I was little featured perforated windows scattered around the illustration, so we’d have to hunt for each day when it arrived, then open that one to see a drawing inside, usually with a picture of a typical Christmas toy or decoration, or a stanza from “Twas the Night Before Christmas.” (Back then I didn’t know that wasn’t the original title of the poem.)

Nowadays, these windows might contain chocolates or little toys, and the calendar could be made of wood or felt in all shapes and sizes. But to me, the cardboard ones are the only “real” ones.

They are still a favorite Christmas tradition of mine. In fact, last week I sent Advent calendars to a close group of family and friends for the 39th year in a row. (I know how long it’s been because I have a dated list, to be sure no one gets the same one twice.)

But in those early Christmases, my brother and I never knew there was more than one style in existence. Probably because my family was rather frugal, our mom kept bringing out the same one every December 1st. We didn’t care; we were happy just to open those same windows year after year, even after half of the little windows had torn off from all the wear and tear.

Years later, when my wife Vicki and I spent our very first Christmas together, we each surprised the other with a new Advent Calendar. I think she was the first person I ever met who had also grown up with them (though her family was rich, so she probably got a different new one each year).

I’m pretty sure discovering that we both loved the custom, and a host of other Christmas traditions as well, was one of the reasons we were together so long.

I’m sharing all this nostalgia with you now because I’ve been thinking a lot about the countdown to the approaching holidays, and how it’s a time of preparation for what’s to come.

Growing up Catholic, I first heard the word “advent” at Mass, when Sundays were designated by its commemoration: “The First Sunday of Advent,” “Second Sunday of Advent,” etc. For Christians, it’s a period celebrating the arrival of Christ.

More universally, the dictionary definition of advent is: an arrival; a coming into a place, view or being. 

As I always do around this time of year, I think a lot about what lies ahead, what’s coming into view for the holidays and the arrival of the new year.

So if it’s OK, I’d like to briefly share some of what I have in mind for myself, and for you, for the coming year – the events and opportunities I want to unfold over the next few weeks and months.

You’ll get the details for all of these as they crystallize and become reality. But as you’ll see, they all have two things in common:

They’ll provide more opportunities for all of us to transform people’s lives through the power of great storytelling.And they’re going to be fun.

They include:

More newsletters, videos, interviews and programs for mastering storytellingMore live presentations; onstage and virtualAn in-depth examination of what I  regard as “A Perfect 60-Second Story”New coaching packages for multiplying your impact and income through Hollywood storytelling, including…A heavily discounted New Year offer for choosing and developing the best stories for growing your business and financial successA deeper dive into my approach to The Hero’s INNER Inner Journey, and how it connects to new ideas I’m exploring about our subconscious mind (primarily through Russell Brunson’s Secrets of Success membership and mastermind program)Expanding my Hollywood StorySelling Master Class to provide  more opportunities for direct interaction and feedbackAsking for your help with surveys designed to determine exactly the help you want and need for  all aspects of your storytelling, so I can create…New courses for specific areas of storytelling for business, film and fiction, as well as…A new membership site of my ownAnd finally, partnering on special events with experts and entrepreneurs I work with, have fun with, and deeply admire.

I hope you’ll join me on this next chapter of our Story Mastery journey.

And have fun counting down the days toward the advent of your new year.

Stay In Your Essence –

Michael

The post Advent Newsletter appeared first on Welcome to Story Mastery - Michael Hauge Site.

You may have noticed the message at the bottom of my previous article, inviting you to submit any story questions you’d like me to answer. These can include specific problems you’re encountering in finding or developing your own stories – actually my favorite kind of question, because these prove to be more useful to you personally, and tend to be far more helpful than those where I’m responding to a hypothetical issue you think you might encounter somewhere down the road.

I really appreciate those of you who have already responded to my request. Here, in fact, is a question that applies whether you’re a writer, speaker or entrepreneur. I hope it will encourage you to send in your own by clicking the ORANGE “ASK MICHAEL A QUESTION” button on the right sidebar. 

QUESTION: How do I create tension in my story without resorting to action?

ANSWER: Creating tension in your story is an outstanding way to increase – and extend – the emotional involvement of your readers and audiences. But tension is actually the antithesis of action. 

ACTION involves the things any character does to achieve their goal and overcome the obstacles standing in the way of accomplishing what they desire. The moments when your hero faces the greatest amount of conflict are usually the most emotional scenes in your story.

But TENSION is all about creating anticipation. When we anticipate the obstacles that we think your hero will have to face, and the rewards or consequences your hero will experience as a result, the tension is the unresolved tug-of-war between what we want and what we dread. We’re emotionally engrossed in your story because we don’t yet know if the character will succeed or fail.

In a well written thriller or horror film, the audience anticipates violence, and the tension takes the form of suspense. In a love story or romantic comedy, the anticipation of the hero and love interest finally kissing or making love creates sexual tension. 

In either case, the resolution of the conflict will release the tension, as the character faces the killer or monster or the couple finally connects. And both the buildup and the payoff will heighten the emotional experience. 

If you’re using storytelling to grow your business or move your prospects to action, add to the tension and emotion by revealing the obstacles you or your client had to face. But don’t give away what the outcome was until later in the story. 

So if it’s a story about how you had to overcome the possibility of bankruptcy, don’t begin by saying, “Let me tell you how I was able to save my company.” 

Instead, open with, “The biggest crisis I ever faced was when I discovered my company was about to go bankrupt.” 

Now as you relate what you did in the face of this challenge, we stay deeply involved in your story because you haven’t told us if you succeeded or failed. That tension sustains the conflict and emotion far longer than if you had given away the ending.  

The post Q&A: Increasing the Emotion in Your Stories appeared first on Michael Hauge's Story Mastery.

You may have noticed the message at the bottom of my previous article, inviting you to submit any story questions you’d like me to answer. These can include specific problems you’re encountering in finding or developing your own stories – actually my favorite kind of question, because these prove to be more useful to you personally, and tend to be far more helpful than those where I’m responding to a hypothetical issue you think you might encounter somewhere down the road.

I really appreciate those of you who have already responded to my request. Here, in fact, is a question that applies whether you’re a writer, speaker or entrepreneur. I hope it will encourage you to send in your own by clicking the ORANGE “ASK MICHAEL A QUESTION” button on the right sidebar.

QUESTION: How do I create tension in my story without resorting to action?

ANSWER: Creating tension in your story is an outstanding way to increase – and extend – the emotional involvement of your readers and audiences. But tension is actually the antithesis of action.

ACTION involves the things any character does to achieve their goal and overcome the obstacles standing in the way of accomplishing what they desire. The moments when your hero faces the greatest amount of conflict are usually the most emotional scenes in your story.

But TENSION is all about creating anticipation. When we anticipate the obstacles that we think your hero will have to face, and the rewards or consequences your hero will experience as a result, the tension is the unresolved tug-of-war between what we want and what we dread. We’re emotionally engrossed in your story because we don’t yet know if the character will succeed or fail.

In a well written thriller or horror film, the audience anticipates violence, and the tension takes the form of suspense. In a love story or romantic comedy, the anticipation of the hero and love interest finally kissing or making love creates sexual tension.

In either case, the resolution of the conflict will release the tension, as the character faces the killer or monster or the couple finally connects. And both the buildup and the payoff will heighten the emotional experience.

If you’re using storytelling to grow your business or move your prospects to action, add to the tension and emotion by revealing the obstacles you or your client had to face. But don’t give away what the outcome was until later in the story.

So if it’s a story about how you had to overcome the possibility of bankruptcy, don’t begin by saying, “Let me tell you how I was able to save my company.” 

Instead, open with, “The biggest crisis I ever faced was when I discovered my company was about to go bankrupt.” 

Now as you relate what you did in the face of this challenge, we stay deeply involved in your story because you haven’t told us if you succeeded or failed. That tension sustains the conflict and emotion far longer than if you had given away the ending.

The post Q&A: Increasing the Emotion in Your Stories appeared first on Welcome to Story Mastery - Michael Hauge Site.