How to write better stories in your copy
Over the past few days, I’ve shared some writing on Facebook.
It’s writing that doesn’t necessarily have a copywriting/marketing angle, so it goes to Facebook instead of this email list.
Yesterday morning, I got a message on FB that said:
“Hey Robert! Loved your Tornado story! The way you wrote it kept me hooked till the end!
Please suggest a few resources that enhance storytelling skills.”
I want to share my response, but first, I’m gonna share the tornado story this person was referring to.
That way, you have some context… and you can decide if my advice is legit or not. 😂
(It’s also worth noting that there wasn’t an actual tornado involved in this story… just a bad hail storm.)
–
“BEEBOO BEEBOO BEEBOO!!!”
Our emergency weather alarm had gone off twice already.
He and I were doing a dance – he makes a loud noise. I walk downstairs and turn him off.
He makes a loud noise again. I walk downstairs and turn him off again.
This dance defeats the purpose of having an emergency weather alarm in the first place, but it had never caused any problems before today.
In fact, I’m not sure I need the alarm at all. Because I have roommate named Cody who, right before I turned it off for the third time, sent a message in our roommate group text that said simply:
“Tornado watch”
Why do I need a weather alarm when I have someone like him on my side?
So, while turning it off, I sent a video of the thing screaming for attention.
“Yeah this thing has been vocal today,” I said, the text positioned under a video of the poor weather alarm screeching like a kid who’s just stubbed his toe for the first time.
I walked into our kitchen, then over to the living room window, where I saw that what had previously been normal, straight-down rain was now angry, sideways rain.
I walked back toward the kitchen, and that’s when it happened.
Quarter-sized balls of frozen ice began slamming into the windows at 70mph.
I looked outside, and all I could see was white haze.
The only thing I could hear was the sound of the hail pounding the windows, threatening to shatter them at any second.
My thoughts flashed back to a year ago when a tornado ripped through Nashville and took many roofs with it.
In my mind, my apartment transformed from a solid, brick structure to popsicle sticks and construction paper.
The idea that my roof was my roof and was there to stay was no longer a given.
For a second, I hesitated.
The “ground floor” of our apartment is a 3x3-foot landing that immediately ascends to the second floor.
The tried-and-true routine of “going to the basement” that I had learned growing up doesn’t work when you don’t have a basement.
I wasn’t sure where to go. But then I realized something:
My dog, Wallace, was still in my room on the top floor.
I ran up the steps.
“Wallace, come here bud,” I said, trying to act like this was all normal.
I ushered him into a bathroom on the second floor – the innermost room of the house, and our best shot at safety during a tornado.
I closed the door, then went down the steps to grab his leash and harness.
If we did end up losing our roof, I didn’t want to lose my dog in the process.
I ran back up, opened the bathroom door, and put the harness on him.
Then I closed the door again and looked out the living room window…
The hail had stopped.
The wind had died down.
I let Wallace out of the bathroom.
The whole thing lasted less than two minutes.
My other roommate, Jeremy, came down the steps.
“Woah,” he said.
“That was fucking crazy,” I agreed.
We made plans for what we’d do if the storm came by for a second shot at us. But thankfully, we didn’t need them.
A few minutes later, Cody responded to my message about the weather alarm:
“Lolol. You’re welcome. It prolly saved your life 😂”
I sent a text back:
“Honestly we just had a pretty scary moment with some intense hail. So I take back my shit talking comment. Lol.”
I am amazed and terrified at how quickly life can change.
–
Alright, so here’s the second part of the response I sent:
(The first part was me saying “thank you,” etc.)
“As for storytelling skills – one of the things I’ve been doing lately is reading more narrative nonfiction, like personal essays and memoirs.
I also took a narrative nonfiction class at a local nonprofit recently too.
Those have helped me incorporate dialogue into my writing and to write in a way that’s a bit more novel-like… if that makes sense.
One question I’ve been trying to ask myself when writing is:
How can I make this as compelling as possible?
It’s a good way to keep yourself on the right track.”
It sounds simplistic, but the best way I’ve found to improve at writing is to read a lot of good writing and then to write a lot.
This is something Stephen King mentions in his book, On Writing, which is a great book about the craft if you’re looking for something like that.
Over the past year, I’ve been reading a lot more fiction and memoirs than ever before. And my writing has improved because of it. (Cole Schafer was the first person to introduce me to the idea that fiction could actually improve my copywriting… he was right.)
So, if you want to tell better stories in your copy – read more memoirs, read more personal essays, and read more fiction.
Then, write more too.
If you’re looking for a good selection of essays to start with, read Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris.
The essays are all pretty short, and he is a hell of a writer. The way his sentences flow together amazes me.
And if you’re looking for something that will punch you in the gut, read How We Fight For Our Lives by Saeed Jones.
It’s brutally honest, graphic, and dark at times – and that’s what makes it great. Like Sedaris, Jones is a fantastic writer and hell of a storyteller.
I hope that’s helpful.
Robert