Presenting and Storytelling

Evidence does not speak for itself. These are the structures that carry an idea from the person who found it to the people who have to act on it. The story shapes come from television writers and MIT; the sentence rules come from plain-English style guides. See also the house writing style.

Shapes for a message🔗

• Be Concise, Be Specific, Use Numbers, Evoke Emotions, Create Urgency, Add a Takeaway and Call out the reader
• South Park flow: "this happens" and therefore "this happens" BUT "this happens". BUT, BECAUSE, THEREFORE¹
• Dan Harmon Story Circle (cycle between order and chaos)²
  • You - establish the protagonist(s)
  • Need - something isn't right
  • GO! - crossing the threshold
  • Search - the road of trials
  • Find - meeting the goddess
  • Take - finding the price
  • Return - Bringing it home
  • Change - Master of both worlds
• Winston's Star (MIT): Story (who, how, and why it matters), Symbol, Slogan, Surprise, Salient (the one idea to remember)³

Song arrangement🔗

A pitch, a demo and a song share a shape: hook, build, payoff, repeat, close.⁴

• Intro/Hook -> Verse -> Pre-Chorus/Build Up -> Drop / Hook / Chorus / Verse -> Pre-Chorus / Build Up -> Drop / Hook / Chorus -> Outro

Five rules for sentences🔗

The same rules appear in every good style guide; these are the five that matter most.⁵⁶⁷

• Use an action verb: Action verbs are words that describe an action being taken by the subject. Using action verbs can make your writing more dynamic and interesting, as it shows the reader what is happening. For example, "The dog barked loudly" is more interesting than "There was a loud barking sound coming from the dog."
• Make a person or thing subject: In order to create a clear and concise sentence, it is important to have a subject that the action verb is acting upon. This makes it clear who or what is performing the action in the sentence. For example, "The dog barked loudly" is more clear than "There was a loud barking sound."
• Keep Subject-Verb close: In English, it is considered good style to keep the subject of the sentence and the verb as close together as possible. This helps to make the sentence more clear and easy to understand. For example, "The dog barked loudly" is more clear than "The dog, who had been sleeping, suddenly barked loudly."
• Use active voice: Active voice means the subject is performing the action. Using active voice can make your writing more clear and concise. For example, "The dog barked loudly" is in active voice and "The loud barking sound was made by the dog" is in passive voice.
• Be good to your Mother: Good writing also includes being mindful of the reader's perspective and using language that is respectful and appropriate. Being good to your Mother means avoiding offensive or insensitive language and treating others with kindness and respect.