Heather writes her first draft with growing despair.
But she grits her teeth, finishes writing down her best time saving tips, and then goes out for a walk. She can revise and edit her draft later.
Even the sunshine can’t drive away her sense of failure—that nasty feeling her blog post sucks so much that even her best revision efforts won’t rescue it. It’s too dull.
Has she lost her writing mojo?
Heather feels writing has become a chore. She feels uninspired. She writes similar posts with tips every week. Almost on auto-pilot. She’s afraid her readers might sense her boredom. Her negativity might seep through her words.
Where has the fun gone? And how can she find her spark back?
Heather wants to try something new.
But what?
Three weeks ago, I almost allowed myself to despair at my draft
I had written a tutorial on taglines.
But I had to admit: Despite great quotes and good examples, this post was rather drab.
What could I do?
My brain didn’t feel like dreaming up a metaphor about taglines. So, I decided to turn my post into a narrative essay.
The phrase narrative essay may conjure up nightmarish feelings of awfully boring schoolwork. But essays don’t have to be dull. My essay on taglines engaged readers and received a whopping 98 comments.
So what’s a narrative essay? And how can you use this format to engage business readers?
A narrative essay is a gripping story in three acts:
- In the opening, set out your personal problem; hook readers with drama
- In the main body, explain how you solved the problem and advise readers how they could solve a similar problem
- In the closing paragraph, your story reaches its climax and you encourage readers to implement your advice
A narrative essay usually discusses a personal journey, your quest for the truth, or a story of how you defeated a problem.
Shall I explain?
Step 1. Find the drama
How does a thriller hook readers from the first page?
A good thriller plunges the reader smack-bang in the middle of a story. A body is found. A fight is happening. As a reader, you want to know what’s happening next. The drama and action are instantly there.
You may think we don’t have that type of drama in business writing. And to some extent that’s true. This is not about life and death, but about the small dramas of business life.
Imagine my post about taglines. Where’s the drama in taglines?
I initially thought the drama was in finding the right tagline. But that’s still kind of boring. The real drama was in my personal struggle: the traditional marketer in me said I needed a cute tagline, but the pragmatist in me wanted to get rid of the tagline and declutter the page:
But recently, I’ve wondered whether crafting taglines is a waste of time for small businesses.
Could I simply delete my tagline?
The traditionally schooled marketer in me shivered. No tagline? How could my business thrive without a punchy tagline? The idea seemed crazy at first.
Each business problem contains drama. The drama is the tension between where we are and where we want to be; between what is and what could be. It’s about a conflict or human struggle. Sharing the story of this struggle makes a dull topic more fascinating.
Sharing your struggle, however, isn’t always easy. You have to be brave enough to admit your own doubts. But admitting your doubts is a powerful way to bond with your readers as they recognize the same tension in their own lives.
Step 2. Share your lessons
In a thriller, readers plunge straight into the action from page one, and the backstory follows later when readers get to know the hero, his mission, his past, his strengths and his flaws.
The main purpose of your essay is not to tell your story, but to make a key point. You take readers through your arguments, so they come to the same conclusion as you, and feel inspired to act.
So, in the main part of your essay, set out your argument by answering these questions:
- Which solutions did you explore? What research did you conduct?
- Do your readers experience the same problem or might it be slightly different?
- What were your doubts? Do your readers have different doubts?
To make your essay more valuable to readers, expand beyond your own struggle. In my post about taglines, for instance, I explain how others decided on their tagline. Orbit Media went without a tagline. Big Brand System uses a tagline on its home page, about page, and e-newsletters. Various others use a simple tagline on every web page. Readers can relate to the different options and decide which one is best for them.
The key to writing an essay that’s both engaging and persuasive is finding a balance between being comprehensive and maintaining momentum. So, include enough details and examples to make your advice concrete, but don’t wear your readers down with every exception. Readers can ask additional questions in the comment section.
Step 3. The climax
The climax of a story seems simple. In a thriller, the hero is victorious. He’s solved a crime. He’s defeated the enemy.
But what’s the climax in your essay?
It’s the solution to your conundrum. You find the holy grail.
But watch out. Your essay isn’t only about you.
The real hero is your reader. Even if you use your essay to share a personal story, your main aim is to educate and inspire your reader. The main body of the posts gives readers guidance, and your closing paragraph encourages and inspires your readers by addressing them directly:
Web readers are busy.
They glance. They skim. They quickly make up their mind whether to hang around on your site or not.
So why do they come to your website?
And what’s absolutely essential to communicate?
Avoid clutter. Embrace brevity. Boost clarity.
Your search for the truth
The author of a thriller searches for answers: who committed the crime and how can we catch them? How can our heroes defeat the baddies?
Your story may feel less dramatic.
But you can use the same tricks to turn a boring tutorial into a gripping, persuasive essay.
Start looking for the drama. Where’s the tension between what is and what could be? What’s the real problem?
Once you’ve pinpointed the drama, narrate the search for your answer. And take your reader on your journey—a gripping and inspirational adventure.
ya. It’s absolutely true that “A good thriller plunges the reader smack-bang in the middle of a story”. A good drama can conjure up a certain way that can resolve a conundrum smoothly. A good tagline also proves to be handy.
Thanks
Even business writers can learn from authors who write thrillers!
Hello Henneke. I like your tips. Helping me understanding storytelling. Thank you.
Thank you, Firdaos. I’m glad you enjoyed this one!
I should be warming up to read your first novel, Henneke. Good stuff!
Ha! I don’t have plans for a novel yet, but you never know …
I take your comment as a big compliment, Kabolobari. Thank you.
Hello Henneke,
Great hook! Beat the blah blues in your blog post or business writing by re-imagining them as a drama-filled narrative essay. This rather brilliant brainpoke is heading straight to my swipe file. Refreshing to feel the encouragement to invest fun, emotion and education into (business) writing AND the reminder “your reader is the hero” of the story – ALWAYS. Another cracker – your mojo is definitely back. 🙂
You know what’s so strange about my mojo? Often when I feel I’ve lost it, I write one of my better articles. Weird, eh?
Thank you for stopping by, Nicole! 🙂
You are both a prolific and most engaging writer. I try not to miss out, but fail. I would read every post if I could but even if not possible will keep trying.
I even enjoy your cartoons with deep sense on Instagram.
Think that describes my feelings.
Thank you Henneke
Thank you for your lovely comment, Nicolas. I’m glad you’re enjoying my drawings on Instagram; and it doesn’t matter if you don’t read every post.
Good read. Storytelling is important and being able to express your story to your audience or viewer is crucial for a good author or salesman!
Yes, so true. Good salesmen are good storytellers, too.
Thank you for stopping by, Barry.
Storytelling is at the heart of all good marketing copy. A bit of drama never hurt anyone, and with plenty of dull posts around, it’s always a great idea to add some more life to your content. Great piece!
I agree with you about an abundance of boring blog posts.
I’m glad you enjoyed this one, Jon. Thank you for stopping by.
Hi Henneke, you certain make blogging very attractive, once I am over my nail-biting activity of S-publishing I’ll have my website live. Forgot how many years it took to get there.
I learned a ton or two of things that were not on my bucket list, though forgot the last one until I found myself right in it at the deep end, he, he.
I can’t wait to get an email from you that your website is live, Annamarie. I admire your tenacity. 🙂
Hey Henneke,
Amazing post. And wonderful way to tie in the “thriller” writing in the first point. Based on your example it’s possible to find drama in any topic. You just need to dig deep enough to find it.
Wonderfully written.
– Andrew
Thank you so much, Andrew. I used to think writing a thriller and writing a blog post would be completely different, but once I started exploring, we can actually learn a lot from thriller writers.
Good to see you again!
Haha, that is turning your own story into a story about your own story 😉
Me like meta.
I seem to be on a run of meta posts. Not sure whether it’s good or bad, but if you like it, I’m happy 🙂
Excellent post.”The drama is tension ..between what is and what could be”..Oh I love these lines.I love your writing techniques.There is magic in your writing.
Bunch of thanks!!
Thank you so much, Mehera. I appreciate your stopping by 🙂
How did you know this was exactly the advice I needed today? Thank you for your excellent strategy. You already shifted my thought process into a higher gear. Thanks!
I’m telepathic 😉
I’m glad you enjoyed this post! Thank you for stopping by. 🙂
Where is the drama of yesteryear?
Never too far and never too near.
To catch it in words is always goal,
and to do so, without losing our soul.
C A Hall
Thank you for your lovely poem, Carol. Catching the drama in words … I love it!
I just love your perspective and energy.
Thank you, Marie.
Thought-provoking post, Henneke. Thank you. Purposely applying thriller Storytelling in non-fiction to heighten reader awareness, connectivity and involvement makes absolute sense. I dearly love what most people hate: writing accomplishments-based résumés. Since our professional accomplishments are our professional “stories,” I’m for sure going to use your post to help my clients find the drama and meaning in what they often consider to be “BIG Yawn – I was just doing my job”
That sounds like a great idea, Don. For employers, it’s also interesting to find out what applicants did to overcome conflict, setbacks, and adverse situations, right?
Happy storytelling!
wow! storytelling, i’m there!
thank you.
I’m glad you enjoyed this one, Cynthia. Happy storytelling!
So many uses for storytelling! I’m working on a book about storytelling and will refer to this post.
Oh wow. That would be splendid, Cathy. Thank you!
I really like the analogy between a thriller and business writing that you used in this post. It’s an interesting way to think about writing more engaging business content.
Thank you, Laura. I’ve only quite recently started understanding how fiction techniques apply to business content, too. I keep learning 🙂
“To make your essay more valuable to readers, expand beyond your own struggle. In my post about taglines, for instance, I explain how others decided on their tagline. Orbit Media went without a tagline. Big Brand System uses a tagline on its home page, about page, and e-newsletters. Various others use a simple tagline on every web page.”
One of the amazing features of your blog posts is that you always have such a depth of examples from outside your own business/thoughts, either to demonstrate the struggle or to back up you conclusions.
My question is, do you just come across these in your regular reading and work, or do you go looking for them when you need them? If you keep a swipe file somewhere, would you share your system? And if you don’t, I would love to know how you find them ‘on-demand’ 😀
Thanks!
Yes, finding examples is exhausting, so I employ different tactics.
Sometimes I read such a good example of a writing technique that it inspires me to write a post. This happened, for instance, when I read Ray Bradbury’s book about The Zen of Writing, and I wrote a post about strong verbs, using examples from his book.
I do have a swipe file with examples in Evernote and have a few go-to sites, where I know I can usually find good examples (Apple, for instance, is one of my go-to resources and I’ve used examples from their text regularly).
Sometimes, I’m too lazy to gather examples, and I use examples from my own blog (like I did for this post) or I make up examples (I did this, for instance, when I wrote a post about writing clear and concise sentences).
Using different tactics creates a good mix of examples without it being too time-consuming. Although sometimes, it can still take up a ton of time! It can also help to plan posts in advance, so when I come across an example I can add it to my draft post. But I’m not so good at planning in advance 🙂
One of the reasons so many of us are raving fans of yours is because you do share your struggles. I wish you had been my English teacher in school….you make even the phrase ‘narrative essay’ sound exciting! But this is a truly great post about why it is so important to talk about real life and share our struggles when appropriate, because not only does it make a post more interesting, you instruct and connect at the same time.
As a non-native speaker, I wouldn’t be allowed to teach English at most schools! Who’d want an English teacher with a weird Dutch accent? 😀
In one of Donald Murray’s books I read something that all good writing is personal. The more I think about it, the more I think it’s true.
Another great, inspiring post 🙂 Thank you!!
Thank you, Mel. Happy storytelling!
As a fiction writer AND blogger AND business-content writer, there is so much great advice in here for all three worlds. A great post – possibly a classic. Thanks!
That’s a big compliment, Jennifer. Thank you.
Isn’t it fascinating how many fiction writing techniques also apply to business writing?
Hi great post, lots of succinct practical ideas and a framework for future narratives / blog posts 😉
Paul
Thank you, Paul. I appreciate your comment. Happy storytelling!
Hi Henneke, I so need to do this – I need to get more drama into my posts – thank you for the tips here.
I think it is so easy to get into a writing rut. I have no problem with the sharing of lessons but the it’s the drama and climax I must work on.
I know Ryan Biddulph does this wonderfully with his posts. He always has a gripping story to get to his points.
Yes, it’s super-easy to get into a writing rut. It happens to me, too. But when I pull myself out of my rut, I’ve always learned something new. That’s why I keep writing.
Happy storytelling, Lisa!
You are truly an amazing writer. I feel like I just come to read what you write to see what fun story you’ve conjured up this time rather than the advice and education embedded within them. That is a HUGE compliment because I have pages and pages of to-do lists than to sit and entertain myself.
Lots of love,
Charlie
Wow, Charlie. That IS a huge compliment. Thank you.