Ali Anani

منذ 6 سنوات · 3 دقائق وقت القراءة · ~10 ·

التدوين
>
مدونة Ali
>
Charging your story

Charging your story

fs. Telling Business in stories

My buzzes on the art of storytelling over many platforms received the maximum attention as reflected by the number of views, shares, comments and likes. One buzz that I published on LI before moving to beBee is on "The Power of Storytelling". Even though this buzz was published more than a year ago still it attracts comments. I wish to share it here on beBee. I use the battery as a metaphor for storytelling. You want to charge your readers then use a good battery.

Storytelling is a great way to attract readers. Storytelling is accepted as the best marketing. Not all stories are attractants. Like violet flowers attract bees, so are stories they have colors to attract certain readers. A boring story shall do the reverse and repel readers. Stories have the power to do this or that.

I have suggested different ways of writing stories and compiled most of them in an e-book. That stories have power brought the idea of using the battery as a metaphor to storytelling. I find this metaphor interesting and I am sharing my views why it is in this post. Batteries are electrochemical devices which convert chemical energy into electrical energy or vice versa by means of controlled chemical reactions between a set of active chemicals. A story has the objective of capturing the readers' attention by converting their sleepy attention into a charged one.

54ea61ad.jpg


A story has three acts: the beginning, the climax in the middle act and the resolution in the final one. The first act serves as a "wakening up" call to prepare the reader to what is coming. A story needs to start up like a battery that starts up a car. The story must have its battery of enough power to get the story moving. The reader is still cold to the story and having a battery of enough strength is crucial. Battery designers try to design out the possibility of abuse wherever possible but ultimately the life of the battery is in the user's hands. The storyteller has it in his/her hands to design the story well. For example, batteries may suffer from premature death for many reasons. One reason is a severe drop in the voltage of the battery. The battery shall fail to deliver the required current. Same with storytellers who drop the tension of the story suddenly and they become unable to maintain the flow of the story. Overcharging and over-discharging the battery cause its premature death. Storytellers who overcharge the reader too soon kill the story and their hope that the readers would continue reading them.

The flow of the story is like the flow of the current in a battery. The storyteller must ensure the flow of events in a way that it makes sense and increasingly capture the interest of the reader. But then the protagonist (a human, a product, a brand, or whatever) shall face resistance from the antagonist. The storyteller must keep the flow of the story and avoid acts that may block the story. In a battery, the quality of the active chemicals may vary. This may affect the concentration of the chemicals or the level of impurities present and impede the flow of current. Active chemicals are the events in a story. The impurities are the side events which are not of value to the story. They harm much more than they serve. The power of a story is linked to how it "charges" the readers, and side events don't serve. The leakage of the active chemicals lowers the power of the battery and likewise the leakage of events reduces the suspense of the readers.

ad1578fb.jpg

The active chemicals in the battery enhance their activity with increased temperatures. The hotter the battery, the faster chemical reactions will occur. But not all events of a story are desirable and they too may react faster and may overwhelm the main events. This shall only lead to the reduction of the battery life (story life) and the loss of the power of the story.

 Moving from Act 2 to Act 3 in a story must be done wisely. It is the same in batteries wherein the closer it gets to being fully charged, the slower it must be charged. The climax in Act 2 must not overcharge the reader; else he/she shall be lost. We need to build suspense in stories, but not too much too soon.

Not all batteries are of the same genre. Not all stories are of the same genre. Know your story to know what battery to use. I find the battery a suitable metaphor for telling stories. Do you?



"""
#Act #power #battery #reader #story
التعليقات

Ali Anani

منذ 6 سنوات #37

#42
I love your workable "litmus test" Pamela \ud83d\udc1d Williams. "I have found that when I have to struggle for the next thought, do edits other than typos that exist because my typing skill wasn't as fast as the flow of thoughts, then I am forcing the story and I'm never satisfied with the results". I experience the same and I salute you for highlighting this point in particular.

Ali Anani

منذ 6 سنوات #36

#39
Dear Lada \ud83c\udfe1 Prkic- you "charged" my soul with your lovely comment. Thank you

Ali Anani

منذ 6 سنوات #35

#37
Dear Steve Brady First, I wish you good health and I am so happy that you feel better now. I missed your presence and I am again happy to read your sound comments . You awakened the sleeping child in me. Thank you so much for I feel more creative now.

Lada 🏡 Prkic

منذ 6 سنوات #34

I'm glad to see that this story doesn't need recharging. The battery type has a long lifespan. 😊

🐝 Fatima G. Williams

منذ 6 سنوات #33

Do you know where I find the charge to my batteries dear Ali \ud83d\udc1d Anani, Brand Ambassador @beBee in buzzes like this one and many others on beBee. I charge my batteries through my interaction with people. There is an invisible energy that flows in and I'm charged I write a story. The battery metaphor is apt as you can tell from my comment. Like Sara says only humans tell stories. Thank you for charging my batteries #Stayawesome

Ali Anani

منذ 6 سنوات #32

#34
So, when are we going to read a story book from you the wise Tausif Mundrawala. I enjoy your senses as reflected in your comments. This one is no exception.

Ali Anani

منذ 6 سنوات #31

#32
I am going to read tonight your buzz on the price of beans. I know what price you demand shall be fair Joyce \ud83d\udc1d Bowen Brand Ambassador @ beBee because I know i shall have an added value. Keep your batteries charged.

Joyce 🐝 Bowen Brand Ambassador @ beBee

منذ 6 سنوات #30

I have gained great pleasure being a storyteller. I also loved journalism. In journalism, it is expected that you grab the reader's attention in the first few lines. Then it a chore not discharging your own batteries maintaining the pace. I've had editors "deflate" a piece and it has made me nearly rabid. One young man dared not cut my work again after removing elements that completely eliminated a cost to society in it. That was https://www.bebee.com/producer/@joyce-bowen/the-price-of-beans. I always reproduce it with his 'edits' cut.

Ali Anani

منذ 6 سنوات #29

#28
Thank you dear Sara Jacobovici for your "friendly" comment. As you have established the hive Only Humans Tell Stories I am not surprised at all to read your comment and your attention to the value of storytelling. Yes, in my age timeflies and I can't believe this buzz celebrated its first birthday.

Ali Anani

منذ 6 سنوات #28

#29
Thank you for your sharing dear Sara Jacobovici. Much appreciated

Sara Jacobovici

منذ 6 سنوات #27

The art of storytelling by Ali \ud83d\udc1d Anani, Brand Ambassador @beBee.

Sara Jacobovici

منذ 6 سنوات #26

Allow me to apologize for coming late into this discussion. I just came across it now. At the risk of sounding cliche, I can't believe that it has been more than a year since you published your post Ali \ud83d\udc1d Anani, Brand Ambassador @beBee. I must be getting old because they say they older you get the faster time passes. Sorry for the digression (also a sign of my age). I am happy to read your post as it is "timeless". Storytelling and metaphors, who can ask for anything more? The battery is a great metaphor for storytelling, Dr. Ali, especially the way you tell it. I share your perspective on the value of storytelling. The act of storytelling is a central part of who we are. Stories help make sense of our world and our place in it and we define ourselves by a story within time. We create stories; verbally, oral and written, and non-verbally, through movement/dance, visual symbols and signs/visual arts, and sound making/music. Where there is life, in any form, there is communication. But only humans tell stories.

Louise Smith

منذ 6 سنوات #25

#24
Mee too !

Ali Anani

منذ 6 سنوات #24

#25
May be your next buzz would be on "Building Stories"! You are an engineer Lada \ud83c\udfe1 Prkic and you may build a 3-storey story, in emulation of the 3-Acts of writing stories. Your special engineering genes shall be a great asset to you.

Lada 🏡 Prkic

منذ 6 سنوات #23

#17
#19 Thanks, Louise! I'm glad you remembered my post about Licitars. It's one of my favorite. To write such a story, I need a special type of "battery" that is not always available. :-) As you said, storytelling is in our genes, somewhere and to some degree.

Lada 🏡 Prkic

منذ 6 سنوات #22

#16
Thank you! It's always a pleasure to interact with your posts, dear Ali. But you are faster in writing than I am in commenting on your posts. I have to speed up! 😀

Ali Anani

منذ 6 سنوات #21

#22
And so mine is

Louise Smith

منذ 6 سنوات #20

#21
ok thanks I understand your meaning clearly now. Yes I am very glad to know you ! My life is richer for it !

Ali Anani

منذ 6 سنوات #19

#20
I am not considering the years that we didn't know each other. In comparison one year has elapsed so quickly. At least, we know each other virtually, Louise

Louise Smith

منذ 6 سنوات #18

#18
Yes Ali but it depends on perspective as you know. That actually feels like a long time ago to me. I am just glad to have no evidence of Alzheimers in my olde age.

Louise Smith

منذ 6 سنوات #17

Lada \ud83c\udfe1 Prkic But if you think about stories before writing like Indigenous Oral Heritages. Those early people were firstly good story listeners, developed story memory and techniques from listening and then after appreciation of and exposure to good modelling became good storytellers too ! It's in all of our Genes somewhere to some degree !

Ali Anani

منذ 6 سنوات #16

#17
A year ago- time passes very quickly Louise Smith. May be a theme for a story

Louise Smith

منذ 6 سنوات #15

#15
I agree with Ali \ud83d\udc1d Anani, Brand Ambassador @beBee ! So much so that I remember the first post of yours that I read a year ago https://www.bebee.com/producer/@lada-prkic/licitars-hearts-made-of-honey

Ali Anani

منذ 6 سنوات #14

#15
It is great o read a gain a comment by you dear Lada \ud83c\udfe1 Prkic. You say you aren't a good storyteller, but your comment tells your story beautifully. I bit you didn't "engineer" this comment as it flows beautifully. TO be a good storyteller you must be first a good story listener. You charged the battery of my brain.

Lada 🏡 Prkic

منذ 6 سنوات #13

We can use many metaphors for storytelling. The metaphor of battery is a good one. There are people whose words are so powerful by itself and look like as they are always on full power.These storytellers are able to connect to people through their stories that have the power to stimulate and recharge our batteries (brains). And you are one of these storytellers, Ali \ud83d\udc1d Anani, Brand Ambassador @beBee. The rest of us have to learn what type of battery to use to put the life into our stories and how to connect and engage to maximize the battery efficiency. I'm more a story-listener than a storyteller. To me, sometimes is more important to be a listener and actually to hear what has been said. To learn while recharging my batteries. :-) I enjoyed reading your SlideShare presentation about telling business in stories.

Ali Anani

منذ 6 سنوات #12

#13
I shall make my visit plan so that we may meet. The earliest I could visit is mid-September.

David Navarro López

منذ 6 سنوات #11

#6
Hopefully we have the opportunity to meet. I will be in Brasil until the end of July, then back to Germany. No more travelling programmed by now...

Ali Anani

منذ 6 سنوات #10

#9
+Dear CityVP \ud83d\udc1d Manjit- what a great way to express your thoughts " the torch that speaks to many subjects including the human condition"! I agree and find this thought very illuminating " we need to focus on the 10% that fill their minds, heart and spirit with quality signals". These 10% are the oxygen that keep us living.

Ali Anani

منذ 6 سنوات #9

#8
This is a unique-quality comment my friend Harvey Lloyd. I couldn't say it better than you did "Story telling was one persons passing on the wisdom of their years to a younger generation". Later you wrote "Like all modern things we break the whole into the elements that we experience and then package it as guidelines for others". I paused because in complex systems this the whole is greater than the parts. But then you immediately explained by writing "The one thing we have a difficult time in packaging is the passion within the story". Now, I agree fully with your wisdom and great thoughts.

Ali Anani

منذ 6 سنوات #8

#7
Thank you dear Pascal Derrien

CityVP Manjit

منذ 6 سنوات #7

A great story is a rechargeable battery passed along the generations. Without such a rechargeable property we would have lost the stories of Homer and even the stories of Jesus - and in this age of instant wipe and disposable information, it is imperative we recognize what has passed between generations - the torch that speaks to many subjects including the human condition. Stories like languages are not immortal - they require us to be aware of their existence. There is no danger that the stories of old will go extinct but if 90% of the population is filled with branded noise - we need to focus on the 10% that fill their minds, heart and spirit with quality signals.

Harvey Lloyd

منذ 6 سنوات #6

Story telling is an art form that is very much a part of ancestral history. I would venture to say that stories heard from my elders were a process similar to the encyclopedia of today. Story telling was one persons passing on the wisdom of their years to a younger generation. Like all modern things we break the whole into the elements that we experience and then package it as guidelines for others. The one thing we have a difficult time in packaging is the passion within the story. Those subtle things that draw us into the experience of the one telling the story. The teller experienced something and now is expressing the journey from very personal encounters. Thanks for the post it was intriguing and also very informative.

Pascal Derrien

منذ 6 سنوات #5

an energetic metaphor indeed :-)

Ali Anani

منذ 6 سنوات #4

#4
I shall be visiting Germany later this summer and I hope to meet with you in person my friend David Navarro L\u00f3pez. Hopefully I shall be honored to meet with you. No question, I shall then have a "charged" story to write from the bottom of my heart.

Ali Anani

منذ 6 سنوات #3

#3
You always amaze me with the qualities and relevance of your quotes Chas \u270c\ufe0f Wyatt

David Navarro López

منذ 6 سنوات #2

I remember perfectly that one, and around that time you published another powerful one, Visual storytelling: a creative approach https://es.slideshare.net/hudali15/visual-storytelling-32366375 which opened my eyes to it, and motivated the writing of another in response https://www.slideshare.net/bicefablog/visual-storytelling-why-is-it-so-powerful-47453534 Wish the audience here at Bebee had the same privilege than me of knowing you precious and challenging mind for so long As always, my sword is yours...

Ali Anani

منذ 6 سنوات #1

#1
You are a great "asset" my friend debasish majumder- as you charged me.

مقالات من Ali Anani

عرض المدونة
منذ 3 سنوات · 2 دقائق وقت القراءة

My e-book: Collection of Creative Ideas

Creativity is like scattered light going in different directions first to explore and observe in sea ...

منذ 3 سنوات · 3 دقائق وقت القراءة

Hairy Ideas

Shape adaptions has always struck me with its far-reaching effects. Just by examining the shapes of ...

منذ 3 سنوات · 2 دقائق وقت القراءة

Fear of Failure Magnification Effect

We set SMART goals and their achievements is the parameter of our success. Many times we fail to ach ...

المتخصصون ذوو الصلة

قد تكون مهتمًا بهذه الوظائف

  • Hikma Pharmaceuticals

    Supervisor Revenue Operations

    تم العثور عليها في: DrJobEn JO A2 - منذ يومين

    Hikma Pharmaceuticals Amman, الأردن

    Key Responsibilities The Supervisor, Revenue Operations is responsible for customer-centric, efficient and compliant commercial transactions for the Hikma Pharmaceuticals business. This role will plan, organize, direct and manage activities ensuring the proper and timely processi ...

  • Crossover

    Accountant Trilogy

    تم العثور عليها في: DrJobEn JO A2 - منذ أسبوع

    Crossover Amman, الأردن

    About the job · Crossover is the world's #1 source of full-time remote jobs. Our clients offer top-tier pay for top-tier talent. We're recruiting this role for our client, Trilogy. Have you got what it takes? · Imagine a new way of working: · You are an integral part of a visiona ...

  • Near East Foundation

    Logistics and Procurement Officer

    تم العثور عليها في: DrJobEn JO A2 - منذ يومين

    Near East Foundation Amman, الأردن

    Develop, facilitate, implement, monitor, and review procurement plans; · Manage the procurement function which includes procurement of goods, works and services; · Responsible for managing all procurement procedures, coordinate and monitor the function to ensure compliance with ...