Storytelling is a skill that must be learned by anyone working in business, PR, communications and journalism. Storytelling is one of the most effective forms of communication. Whether it’s creating a brand story, pitching a story to a journalist, or editor, there are certain skills that must be obtained to capture the attention of your audience. We’ve compiled a list of three books that are must-reads for anyone wanting to better their storytelling skills:
1) A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: What I Learned From Editing My Life—Donald Miller
“A good storyteller doesn’t just tell a better story, though. He invites other people into the story with him, giving them a better story too.”
A Million Miles in a Thousand Years is Miller’s sixth publication. Miller previously had written books about unlocking his creativity and spirituality. However, he hit a case of writer’s block and his career took a downturn. Two movie producers approached Miller to do a film about his life but he was quickly disheartened when he learned that they had to alter his life story in order for the movie to have direction. This spurred Miller to challenge himself and make some life-changing decisions to enable his own character to develop. This book gives excellent insights into Miller’s writing processes and the story of his life.
2) Story—Robert McKee
“When we want mood experiences, we go to concerts or museums. When we want meaningful emotional experiences, we go to the storyteller.”
Here at All Good Tales, we are huge fans of Robert McKee and our sister company MediaHQ.com were lucky enough to sit and chat with Hollywood’s master storyteller. McKee’s Story is seen as a Bible for screenwriters, however, the ideas and concepts can be adapted to any form of story writing. This book is encouraging for any story writer and provides tips and tricks from one of the industry’s best.
3) On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft—Stephen King
“What you need to remember is that there’s a difference between lecturing about what you know and using it to enrich the story. The latter is good. The former is not.”
From the author of horror novels such as IT, Carrie and The Shining, it’s fascinating to get an insight into the mind of one of the world’s bestselling authors. This book is part memoir, part masterclass. It documents King’s experiences as a writer and relays advice for aspiring writers. On Writing portrays the story of King, how he went from a struggling writer working at a laundry service to an extremely successful author. He also outlines his personal do’s and don’ts, right down to grammar and vocabulary as well as his exact writing process. This book is brilliant for technical lessons when it comes to storytelling.
