Q: "I have so many details, so many facts, so much information....How do I get down the story?"
A: Sentence by sentence, using index cards.
When I work with lawyers and others who need to tell a story, I am fond of the compression exercise I learned from Jay O'Callahan. The trick is to get your whole story down to 15 seconds. It works. And then you can put down the paper and no one gets hurt.
Here are two more techniques you can use.
This first one comes from a favorite author, Anne Lamott, who wrote "Bird By Bird - Some Instructions on Writing and Life." I am charmed by the little story that gives us a clue to the treasures her book will hold, as follows:
"Thirty years ago my older brother, who was ten years old at the time, was trying to get a report on birds written that he'd had three months to write. [It] was due the next day. We were out at our family cabin in Bolinas, ans he was at the kitchen table close to tears, surrounded by binder paper and pencils and unopened books on birds, immobilized by the hugeness of the task ahead. Then my father sat down beside him, put his arm around my brother's shoulder, and said, 'Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird.'"
That is the very same advice I give those with whom I am working.
Imagine that you are walking in a great swirl of papers. Each sheet of paper is an item of information for the story. No wonder you feel lost. Grab one paper and begin there. Then take it piece by piece or, bird by bird.
This last tip came to me this morning. A high school senior by the name of Ben Breedlove wrote his story early last month before he died from a longstanding heart condition. His technique is profoundly stirring. Words written on index cards, no sound, only the expression in his eyes and the occasional grin. He was gorgeous. In his memory I would like to share the technique with you in the expectation that it will be another tool for you to get down the story.
Click here to access This Is My Story (Part I) and Part II.
Imagine having your clients do the same work.
It's as simple as that. And if you're still perplexed, call me and we will create the story together.
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