3 Ways to Make Your Story More Interesting

Tell an interesting story that makes people lean in, not walk away.

Here's an old adage: 

Numbers tell. Stories sell. 

Brain science bears this out: the human mind processes stories way better than cold hard facts. Use data to support your story, not replace it. But make sure you're telling a story and not a plot.

Here are the 3 ways how to tell the story interestingly.

1. Plots Tell, Stories Sell.

Many good people don’t know how to tell a story that makes people want to engage, all because they confuse a plot for a story. 

That's like comparing a shack to a chateau. Sure, they're both shelters, but only one's going on your Instagram.

How to tell a story and not a plot?

Plots tell a sequence of events. If they're even informative, they tend to be boring. 

A plot is a set of facts in a sequence that don’t necessarily relate, and they certainly don’t have an emotional throughline. 

If a story is about your wild, amazing aunt who dated Mick Jagger, overcame her drug addiction, and now counsels addicts on Skid Row, the plot is an IRS agent.

2. Stories Connect A Sequence Of Events Through Emotion.

Emotions are how we, as a species, relate. Tell me the story that evokes emotion. 

If you’re telling people the plot of your life, you’re missing the best way to connect to anyone you’re talking to–from a prospective boss to a potential mate.

I ran into an old friend at my Harvard college reunion a few years ago. He'd just finished up at one of the most elite business schools and was sharing a seminal class that helped him discover his story. Of course, I leaned in.

"Well, I realized," he said, "that I was the son of a janitor. Everything I do comes from that." 

I waited for more... but he just smiled, satisfied. That's it? Was I supposed to clap? Instead, I excused myself.

I mean, he had all the elements of a rags-to-riches story but never connected them for me with emotion.

So many places to go here to make a more interesting story: The toil & humiliation his dad endured, How his son felt watching this, and How this emotion made him reach for more.

Emotions distinguish boring plots from compelling stories.

3. A Good And Interesting Story Is One With A Positive Moral.

When people ask about how to structure a good story, I say start with the ending first. 

For something larger, like answering the question: “What do you do?” it tends to be your vision, but it can also be moral. 

The ending is: What do I want this person to take away? That despite adversity, I am moving in a positive direction? Or that I’m frustrated with my progress or overwhelmed by my situation? 

One mindset attracts opportunities, the other attracts… it’s probably too overwhelming to even see what it attracts!

When telling a story, you’re inadvertently advertising your outlook (aka the moral of this part of my life). And people are judging you for it, both positively and negatively. They can’t help it. It’s what people do. 

Everything we interpret as happening in our lives–the crappy boss that motivated us to create our own start-up, the amazing teacher who introduced us to the love of writing that led us to become a Nobel Laureate–anything with an emotional interpretation that leads to a meaningful conclusion, that’s what makes an interesting story.