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10 Psychology 10 Psychology: Tricks To Make You A Tricks To Make You A Better Storyteller

The document discusses 10 psychology tricks to help improve storytelling abilities, including starting with the end, using 'but' and 'therefore' between plot points, employing the word 'not', creating a shared language with the audience, combining different ideas, making promises to the audience, using common story structures, including signposts, employing the rule of 3, creating compelling villains, and subscribing to a free newsletter for more tips.

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Tarun Hingorani
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62 views14 pages

10 Psychology 10 Psychology: Tricks To Make You A Tricks To Make You A Better Storyteller

The document discusses 10 psychology tricks to help improve storytelling abilities, including starting with the end, using 'but' and 'therefore' between plot points, employing the word 'not', creating a shared language with the audience, combining different ideas, making promises to the audience, using common story structures, including signposts, employing the rule of 3, creating compelling villains, and subscribing to a free newsletter for more tips.

Uploaded by

Tarun Hingorani
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 14

Nathan Baugh

@nathanbaugh27

10 Psychology
Tricks to Make
You a Better
Storyteller
“Jenga” storytelling

Pulp Fiction, Saving Private Ryan, and


Slumdog Millionaire do this.

They begin with the end. This tactic


makes the audience wonder how
they get to the end.
It creates a sense of mystery, a need
to fill in the gap in the story.

An open loop.
“But, Therefore”

The creators of 'South Park' say:

“If we take the beats of your outline,


and the words ‘and then’ belong
between those beats… you got
something pretty boring.

What should happen between every


beat you’ve written down is the
words ‘therefore’ or ‘but.”
And implies a simple continuation.
But implies conflict.
Therefore implies progress.

Your audience gets hooked on


conflict or progress.

While your audience gets bored with


the same ol’ thing.
Use the word “Not”

In Storyworthy, Matthew Dicks shares


an example:

“I am dumb, ugly, and unpopular.


I’m not smart, I’m not good looking,
and no one likes me.”

He says, “Unlike the


first sentence, which
only offers single
descriptors, the
second sentence
offers a binary.”
Shared language

Muggles, mudbloods, and squibs.

None of these words are real, yet I bet


90%+ of you know what they mean.

Your words become like a secret


whispered between you and your
audience.

They say, “We know what these words


mean. Those other people, they don’t.”
Combine ideas

The show Yellowstone combines


elements of:
– Classic American westerns “When yo
u combin
e
things yo
– Medieval kingdom dramas supposed
u’re not
to combin
people ge e,
– Political thrillers t interest
ed.”
-@Naval

Alone, none of those are new.


But together…
Make a Promise

My favorite way to view a hook is as a


Promise to your audience.

Your story is the “Progress.”

And your climax is your “Payoff.”

Great
breakdown:
Shape your story

Humans gravitate to structure.

Luckily, there are tons to wrap


around your story:
Hero’s Journey
Story Circle
Three Act

The goal of a story structure is to let


the characters shine through.
This is the plot outline Christopher
Nolan used for Inception.
(read the book ‘The Nolan Variations’)
Signposts

Chapter titles, transition words,


countdowns.

Each of these are “signposts.”


Your audience has gotta know where
they are in your story.

A lost audience = a bored audience.

Use signposts to keep them on track.


The Rule of 3

3 is the smallest number of elements


needed to create a pattern.
Connect 2 points, you have a line.
Connect 3 points, you might have a
line. Or a squiggle. Or a triangle.

It depends on how you, the storyteller,


connect them.
Create a villain

Take it from a legend:


“A protagonist in a story can only be as
intellectually fascinating and emotionally
compelling as the forces of antagonism
make them.” — Robert McKee

Batman needs The Joker.


Not the other way around.
Nathan Baugh
@nathanbaugh27

Hope you
enjoyed that!
If you wanna become a better storyteller,
try my free newsletter with 64,887 others.

1 tip about storytelling


every Saturday morning

Link in comments

The end.

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