50 things you don't know about non-fiction storytelling (for journalists, educators and communicators of non-fiction)

STORY DESIGN
50 narrative devices for non-fiction storytellers

WWW.INSIDETHESTORY.ORG

IN 2013 I PUBLISHED FOUR EDITIONS OF A LONG-FORM WEB QUARTERLY CALLED
“INSIDE THE STORY MAGAZINE”
IT FEATURED ESSAYS AND MASTERCLASSES ON THE CRAFT OF NARRATIVE PLUS INTERVIEWS WITH THE BEST
NON FICTION STORYTELLERS WORKING TODAY.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE MAGAZINES
HERE ARE 50 THINGS I LEARNED ABOUT HOW GOOD, NON-FICTION STORIES ARE DESIGNED, TOLD AND
SHARED.
IN A WORLD GETTING MORE COMPLEX AND FAST MOVING ALL THE TIME, THE NEED FOR GOOD OBJECTIVE
STORYTELLING IS MORE VITAL THAN EVER.

BUT WAIT, WHAT’S
STORY DESIGN?
In a well designed story everything happens for a purpose: to
support the point of the story. It is intentionally deciding what
to keep in your story, and more importantly what to throw out.
It’s about intentionally giving certain narrative elements more
volume, and quietening others.
It is about taking a disciplined, methodical and objective
approach to storytelling.

1

it’s PRINCIPLES NOT RULES
There are no hard and fast rules to good storytelling,
but there are principles.
Discipline matters.
Discipline is hard.

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2

don’t be afraid to spin a yarn
Factual storytellers can and should use story design
techniques to weave more engaging narratives.
Don’t fear fables.

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3
STUDY HOW THE BRAIN REACTS TO STORIES
Scientists know our brains react to stories,
releasing neurochemicals like Oxytocin, Dopamine,
and ACTH.
Well made narratives play with these releases to
engage our brains emotionally and intellectually.

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4

TO EMPATHISE IS TO BE HUMAN
Meanwhile mirror neurones in our brains allow us to
empathise with others and their experiences.
Empathy is one of the most important powers of
story.

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5

TELL TIMELESS STORIES

The best stories are timeless and universal.

No matter what they’re about, they are told in a way
that can speak to someone on the other side of the
world, and 500 years from now.
In our real-time world, this matters even more.

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6

stories say “LIFE IS LIKE THIS!!”
The best stories say something meaningful about
the world. Not necessarily in a literal way, but in the
meaning hidden inside the narrative.
They say “life is like THIS!”
Pursue this meaning; don’t tell stories for story’s sake

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7
WHAT IF YOU HAVE NOTHING TO SAY?
Be honest, patient and live a little.
We all have something to say, but it often requires a
bit of living to figure it out.
“How vain is it to sit down to write, when you have
not stood up to live?”

HENRY DAVID THOREAU

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8
MEANING IS REVEALED IN THE CLIMAX
The meaning, theme or “controlling idea” of your
story ought to be revealed, emotionally, in the climax.
Even if your story is about the science of quantum
fluctuations this should still be the case.

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9
TELL THE UNCOMFORTABLE TRUTH
The storyteller has always told the objective truth of
the age.
This may involve being unpopular or vulnerable: it is
rare and therefore very important.

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10

STORY ≠ ESCAPISM

There’s a myth that people like stories to escape the
real world.
In fact, it is the opposite. In a such a confusing, fastchanging world, people actually pursue stories for
meaning and connection.
This is what the good storyteller provides.
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11
THE AUDIENCE ARE PART OF THE PROCESS
Books, cinema, radio then television created a world
where the audience silently consumed stories.
The days of the silent audience are over.
It was just a blip.
We’re going back to vaudeville days of noisy
interaction. Embrace it.
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12
THE “USER EXPERIENCE OF STORY” MATTERS
So our audience want to be involved in our stories
now.
That means thinking about their journey as they
consume your work.
Story needs UX design as much as an app.

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13
ALFRED HITCHCOCK: UX DESIGNER
The real masters understand the UX of their story.
“How will my audience be feeling at this moment?”
Hitchcock knew it best. He could play on the
audience’s emotions and guessing-machines to take
them on a real journey.
Non-fiction storytellers must master this too.
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14
HAVE YOU HEARD OF KITSHUTENKETSU?
Our way of storytelling is a very western one.
The three-act structure emerged from ancient Greek
individualism and has stuck around ever since.
But there are others. Have you ever heard of
KitShuTenKetsu? It’s a Japanese story form. Issue 2 of
the magazine reveals more.
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15
GET AUDIENCE FEEDBACK ON YOUR STORIES
Good storytellers test their work on colleagues,
friends & family.
The key question they ask: “where did you lose
interest?”

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16

SUBTLE SYMBOLISM

We can use symbols & codes to engage the

audience’s subconscious and connect on a deeper
level.
This is powerful but they must never be explicitly
stated. Subtlety is essential.

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17
what’s your story really about?
This comes back to meaning and the “controlling
idea”.
“Up” is not film about a floating house.
It’s really about grief. There is no house.
What’s your story really about?

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18

HEROES AND GODS REALLY EXIST
Mythical gods and superhumans are not just fictional.
They are metaphors for us mere mortals living our
fullest lives.
This is everyone’s greatest wish (and fear) which is
why it’s such a potent theme.

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19
THE BEST IDEAS: SIMPLE BUT PROFOUND
No matter the subject, you should always be able to
capture your story in a sentence or two, max.
It helps you focus.
Aim for something simple but rich in meaning.

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20

HIPSTERS NOT WELCOME
Meaningful storytelling requires vulnerability.
Don’t hide behind hipster irony, humour, or shy away
from emotion.
We use stories to connect. Don’t put a barrier
between you and your audience.

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21

character = WANTS + NEEDS
Characters are driven by wants (conscious) and
needs (subconscious).
These two desires get your character of bed each
day and are the cause of forward motion in the story.
This is true in non-fiction as much as fiction.

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22
WHAT DOES YOUR CHARACTER need?
So when people are telling you “their story”, listen.
What are they really telling you?
Their subconscious reveals itself through their words
and actions.
It’s the real-life equivalent of subtext, a core dramatic
concept.
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23

THE MASK

People in real life wear masks to protect their real
feelings and vulnerability.
Masks peeling away is a dramatic device, that can be
used in non-fiction too.
Ask yourself: what’s your character’s mask?

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24

GOOD GUYS + BAD GUYS

Protagonist & Antagonist are dramatic terms, but
they can be applied to real world if we think less
literally.

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25

darth vadar, metaphor

For example, antagonists don’t have to be evil, just

obstructive to the main character’s desire to achieve
something.
Appreciating dramatic devices as metaphors allows
non-fiction storytellers to use them as well.

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26
FALLIBLE HEROES ARE THE MOST COMPELLING
Indiana Jones was terrified of snakes. Highlight your
character’s foibles, flaws and fears to reflect the
complex nature of people.
True too: the best antagonists are the heroes in their
own story. Screenwriters know this well, and
journalists should too.
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27
character as animal, vegetable, mineral
Characters also don’t have to be human.
Animals, objects, weather, disease and technology can
all be characters.

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28
THE sEVEN circles oF HELL CONFLICT
Conflict exists on many levels, but there is one level
more universal than the others.
Every character, real or made up, is driven by inner
conflict.
Reveal it in your story and you touch your audience
more deeply.
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29
ENOUGH PSYCHO-BABBLE THANKYOU
Many are skeptical about that last idea, but it’s true
our greatest enemy is ourself.
Ever heard yourself say “I’m not good enough”?
That’s your subsconscious Resistance in conflict with
your wants and needs.
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30
snakes, spiders and commitment
Almost everyone has a deep fear of some kind.
And it drives their actions or holds them back from
acting.
It’s amazing how many conflicts come down to this.

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31

YOUR CHARACTER, THE ONION
Peeling back the layers of your character makes for a
more authentic and compelling story.
Subtlety is important again, you don’t want to make
it obvious or do it too quickly.

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32
HUMAN BEINGS: HANDLE WITH CARE
Be careful though, you’re dealing with real people, so
be sensitive. Above all, it requires an ability to listen.
“People do not seem to realize that their opinion of the
world is also a confession of character.”
RALPH WALDO EMERSON

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33

UNIVERSAL THEMES

Most Controlling Ideas of stories are universal: they
speak to everyone.
Some universal themes which widen your appeal:
hope, hate, jealousy, fear, self doubt, vulnerability, fear
of failure, death...
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34

ONE THEME TO RULE THEM ALL
What’s the most popular tag on Cowbird ?
Love.
People love love stories. It’s the universal language.

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35

THE “ALL IS LOST” MOMENT
Here’s another classic story trope people love (in fiction and non fiction): the “we almost lost everything
and gave up” moment.
Take a look at the popular story of Sugru,
the innovative British start-up. It has that moment in
spades.
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36

JUST GIVE ME TEN SECONDS
Did you know 20% of YouTube viewers click away
before 10 seconds. Of 1million views, 200,000 didn’t
watch past the first 10 seconds!
That’s all the time you have to grab ‘em. Make it
count.
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37
WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED?!
A simple story tactic: put your best bit first, even if it
doesn’t make sense.
It’ll hook people in and then you can use the rest of
the story to explain what’s going on.

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38

BE THE UNPOPULAR PARTY GUEST
Here’s a good way to shorten longer, slower parts of
your stories, borrowed from screenwriters.
Arrive late, and leave early. A scene that is. Arrive
once the conversation’s started and force the
audience to piece it together.
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39
BUT THAT’s NOT HOW JOURNALISM WOrKS!
I know this strategy risks confusing your audience
- but that forces them to ask questions, and keeps
them interested.
Counterintuitive I know, that’s why it’s smart!

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40
BUT IT’S HOW GOOD STORYTELLING WORKS
And herein lies the real challenge to non-fiction
storytellers: dare you withhold information for a bit
to weave a good yarn?
If it makes you feel better, there’s a science to why it
works.
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41

WAIT FOR IT....

Which brings us to the best device in any
storyteller’s toolkit.
SURPRISE!

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42

THE MASTER OF SURPRISE

Going back to the first tips about neuroscience: we
know that surprising people releases addictive
Dopamine in their brains.
We can use another device, Intermittent
Reinforcement to create expectation for more.

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43

WITH A TWIST OF MELON

So surprise your audience early on and they’ll be
hooked waiting for the next twist.

There’s lot of interesting research into this, go seek it
out!

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44

GO on, BURY THE LEDE

For 150 years journalists have relied on the Invert-

ed Pyramid as their story structure. “Don’t bury the
lede!”
But a new world demands more engaging stories.
So go on, bury the lede, make your audience do the
work.
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45
DAYS SINCE THE LAST WORKPLACE ACCIDENT:
Oh by the way, want a lesson in good visual
storytelling?
Watch the first 30 seconds of Super8. Learn how to
show and not tell.

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46

AND NOW FOR THE BAD NEWS
Here’s the crux: there is no shortcut to good
storytelling, just years of practice, failure and study of
the discipline.
Don’t skimp on that last bit.

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47

EVERYONE’S AN AIRLINE PILOT
You might fly three times a year, but you don’t think
you’re an airline pilot do you?
You’re not a storyteller because you go to the
movies. Respect & study the principles to make
conscious narrative decisions. That is story design.
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48
AND NOW FOR THE IMPORTANT NEWS
The world is getting more complicated every day.
The need for objective truth is more important than
ever.
Stories matter.
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49
NO-oNE CARES ABOUT YOUR DEPTH-of-fIELD
Forget hipster docs about vintage printmakers.
Tell stories which shine a light on our age and make
us uncomfortable.
It’s really difficult, but so important.
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50
WHEN EVERYONE’s A STORYTELLER, BE THE BEST
Among the listicles, the real-time updates and the
monkeys in trousers there’s a huge opportunity to
tell compelling stories that reflect the truths our time.
If that excites you even a bit, make it your mission.
Now, get busy!
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CLICK HERE TO SEE THE MAGAZINES

IF YOU TAKE YOUR STORYTELLING SERIOUSLY YOU CAN READ ALL FOUR
ISSUES OF INSIDE THE STORY MAGAZINE ONLINE NOW.

INSIDE YOU’LL FIND:
Four masterclasses on the craft of story, including how to open
your story, how to use progression to build to a climax and how
to tell stories in pictures.
Interviews with award-winning non-fiction storytellers like Soren
Wheeler (RadioLab), Everynone, Brent Hoff, Bobette Buster, and
Mo Scarpelli.
Insightful essays on the craft of narrative building.
A primer in interactive storytelling and how to build immersive
narratives.
The only guide I’ve found to how visual storytelling really works.

Adam Westbrook is the editor of Inside the Story
Magazine, a quarterly web publication for
non-fiction storytellers.
Through HotPursuit Press he is a publisher of web
documentaries and ebooks
He is fascinated about helping people rediscover
learning through video and other innovative
publishing projects.

Find out more
www.adamwestbrook.co.uk
@AdamWestbrook
IMAGE © JOHN THOMPSON

50 things you don't know about non-fiction storytelling (for journalists, educators and communicators of non-fiction)

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50 things you don't know about non-fiction storytelling (for journalists, educators and communicators of non-fiction)