Storytelling

One of my 2026 goals is to become a good storyteller. Over the past few years, I've come to understand that, despite my rational predisposition, we humans are inherently drawn to connection, and more than that, we seek a deeper understanding of it. As Cal Newport describes in is latest book Digital Minimalism "our brains adapted to automatically practice social thinking during any moments of cognitive downtime, and it’s this practice that helps us become really interested in our social world". So we are social animals by default, even when we aren't actively thinking about it.

Areas such as business and marketing tend to lean more heavily on the human connection than coding or engineering. Therefore, it seems only logical that to become better at those, I have to become a storyteller.

Luckily, I've read a few Matthew Dicks' books recently, and he has become an expert storyteller. He even authored a book called "Storyworthy," which offers techniques and tips on the craft.

Since I've yet to read it, this is a llm distilled key recommendations:

• Daily Practice, "Homework for Life": tell one true, five‑minute story about your day aloud each evening to build a habit, notice moments, and practice telling.

• Find the Moment of Change: every good story pivots on a small, specific moment when something changed for the protagonist; identify that moment and center the story on it.

• First Sentence and Last Sentence: craft a strong opening that hooks and a clear ending that shows the change; the arc between them must feel inevitable.

• Raise the Stakes: make the emotional importance concrete and immediate; show why the moment mattered to you.

• Show, Don’t Tell: use sensory details, action, and dialogue to put listeners in the scene rather than summarizing feelings.

• Use a Story Spine (structure): setup (who/where), inciting moment, struggle/attempts, turning point (moment of change), and resolution.

• Keep It Short and Specific: aim for tight, focused stories (2–5 minutes for spoken practice; micro‑stories for writing).

• Practice Out Loud and Get Feedback: perform for real people or record yourself; iterate based on listener reaction.

• Use Prompts: Dicks provides prompts (e.g., "first time," "embarrassing moment," "a time I lied") to surface usable moments.

• Make It Personal and Honest: vulnerability builds connection; authenticity matters more than cleverness.

So I'll dedicate 40 min each day to the practice above. The ultimate objective is to translate this knowledge into written form.

In line with my "post on Twitter every day" goal, I'll document this journey on Twitter; you can follow me there to stay updated.