Storyworthy
Written by Matthew Dicks.
⏱️ The book in three sentences
You do not need to have lived an extraordinary life to tell extraordinary stories.
Telling an amazing story is about finding a point of connection with the audience.
Every sentence, word and gap of silence should exist for a reason - namely, to serve the main purpose of the story.
🪞 Reflections
In 1940, under the wet earth of Montignac, France, a deep network of caves was discovered by an 18-year-old boy and his dog, Robot. After a 50-foot climb down the ancient cave shaft, the boy uncovered a series of unseen cave paintings dating back to around 17,000 years ago. The images of various people, animals and abstract symbols make up what is now known as Grotte de Lascaux, or "Lascaux Cave". They are not the oldest cave paintings we have, but they are perhaps the most famous. As a result of their fame, there have been countless interpretations and speculations on what the artwork may mean. One of the most popular theories suggests that these paintings were related to the common shamanistic rituals of the time, which also made up the fragments of what would later become organized religion in the distant millennia. Another theory, though, proposes the artwork is a depiction of "The Hunt" - a story, central to life at the time and a foundational concept for human survival.
In such a harsh world, it would have been imperative for our primordial ancestors to share useful knowledge with their children. Ensuring the information was memorable and relatable, however, was the challenge. Without the ability to write, cave art provided a suitable medium for the transmission of generational wisdom. But before cave art, our ancestors had to rely on only the spoken word. A good story allowed them to overcome the amnesia our species suffers in death and thrive on the distilled truths that narrative and tales have to offer. A story, as such, is life-refined, and it's a powerful force.
Matthew Dicks, Storyworthy's author, knows this better than anyone. He holds a record 51 Moth StorySlam wins, making him the best storyteller in America. But beyond this extraordinary feat, Dicks has also lived an extraordinary, yet unfortunate life. From momentarily dying in a car crash on Christmas Eve to being held at gunpoint in a Mcdonald's robbery, Dicks has felt many of the lows that life has to offer. Those experiences though, despite their horror, often serve origin points for incredible wisdom, which Matthew teaches through storytelling. Yet above all, his most personal lesson is that you don't have to have lived his life to tell great stories; anyone can do it. Storyworthy is his guide on how to do so.
The book is made up of 23 chapters, each touching on a different technique or tool the author uses to craft his stories. The lessons are simple and most are easy to wrap your head around because they're demonstrated through Dicks' own stories.
For example, in the heartwrenching tale "This is going to suck" Matthew recounts the day mentioned above, where he was killed in a car accident and resuscitated in the back of an ambulance. He tells us how before going into surgery, the nurse informs him that his parents won't make it because they've gone to check on the car instead. He feels utterly alone on one of the worst days of his life. But just as the doors open to wheel him out of his room, he sees that all his friends have gathered in the hospital to wish him luck. They make him laugh, they tell him they love him, and he realizes the true beauty of friendship. He realizes that even though his family life is nonexistent, he's not alone. It's what he calls a "5-second moment" - a time in one's life when everything changes.
That's what a story is about, Dicks explains. It's not about incredible events or dire circumstances, it's about the 5-second moments that make us who we are. That's where the emotion is and what we as brothers and sisters in humanity can all relate to.
The actual events of a story don't matter, just those 5-second moments we all have. If we can find them, we can tell incredible stories.
The rest of the book teaches the reader how to do just that. From identifying our 5-second moments, to how we shape our sentences for maximum impact, Dicks is thorough with his content.
If you are interested in becoming a more entertaining person or looking to better communicate your ideas, you'll enjoy this book. It's light, despite some of the emotional weight of the material, and it contains a number of tips you can start using right away to improve your storytelling.
💥 Personal impact
I originally read this book in the pursuit of trying to improve my communication abilities in regards to both this blog, and in general life. Despite that, while reading, I couldn't help but think that these tools would be especially useful in job interviews.
Most job interviews largely consist of recounting the various experiences you've had that would make you a good fit for the role. But you only have a limited amount of time to get your point across and make an impact. Storyworthy's techniques are exactly the kind of tools you would need to craft incredibly impactful interview answers.
For example, in the chapter on "5-second moments", as discussed above, Dicks suggests doing very brief journal entries every day. The entries only need to be 2-3 sentences long, but you should try to answer the question "If you had to tell a story about something today, what would it be?" Over time, as the entries accumulate, you'll begin to see patterns and lessons emerge, thus giving you story-worthy moments and interviews answers.
I can't imagine how useful this would have been last summer when I was going through Public Practice Recruit. I racked my brain for hours trying to find decent answers to the questions I thought may be asked of me. If I had done journalling like Dicks suggests, even just at the end of each workday, finding answers would have been tremendously easier.
I'd also never given thought to the power of tenses in a story. With side-by-side comparisons, Dicks tells the same stories, in both past and present tense. The latter is clearly more exciting and impactful. It pulls you in and takes you along for the ride.
The same is true for setting a location at the beginning of a story. Dicks calls it "starting the movie." By starting a story with a description of a location, even if it's undetailed, the audience's brain fills in the rest and the movie reel begins to play in their minds. It's much more immersive and as a result, again, more memorable.
I've never considered myself a very good storyteller. I often get too excited and trip over my words. Or I feel the need to excessively explain the backstory, killing the story's momentum. Storyworthy hasn't changed this; it hasn't turned me into the storyteller I'd like to be. But it's provided all the tools I could ever need to build a brilliant story and the rest is up to me.
🗣 Top three quotes
"Don’t get hung up on the big moments, the unbelievable circumstances, or the hilarious details. Seek out the moments when you felt your heart move."
"In storytelling, you should always try to say less. Shorter is better. Fewer words rule."
"These women didn’t tell me about their miscarriages because of who I am. They told me about their miscarriages because I told them a story. A story filled with heart and humour. A story that expressed authenticity, vulnerability, and truth."