A project of any size seems daunting when you start from scratch. So why do that content for your blog, your next campaign, that big presentation, or dinner? “Starting from success” is the best constraint you can embrace. It removes many variables that can upend your good and excellent work, leaving you worse off than when you started.
I love the way Pulitzer Prize winner Jericho Brown describes the idea of starting from scratch: he calls it “The tyranny of the blank page” Many writers talk about trying to get started and staring at the blinking cursor on a Google doc. That screen is patiently waiting for you to jump in and create magic. It’s a well-worn trope in movies and TV shows; we all want the freedom to do what we wish to, yet “how to.. “videos are among the most popular on YouT; we all want to know where to start. So what if there was a shortcut to success? A way to go from 0-100? That’s what “starting from success” does for you in any creative content.
Storytelling in any length or form requires an emotional reaction, and our brains are wired for entertainment. We need it, or we’re sliding our thumb scrolling up on the screen or punching the jump button on a podcast or that show we are watching. Humans have fallen behind goldfish; they have an attention span of 9 seconds, ours is shorter. So here are three ways you can start from success and capture that elusive “attention” from your audience.
Start with a bang!
The old rule of writing for TV news lead sentences is to pretend you have one viewer in the other room making dinner, and you have to get their attention to look up at the TV screen. Short, active voice writing is the key to excellent news writing, and it is just as powerful in any project. Cut to the chase and don’t waste time setting scenes or giving background information. You can “start at the end” and then work forward using a Hero’s Journey that starts at the celebration and then sets off.
It’s the ending, dummy.
No one remembers a good story with a bad ending. Ok, maybe Game of Thrones or Sopranos gets a pass here, but they are the exception to the rule. Think about a Netflix show with a bad ending after eight episodes that missed the landing? Now compare that to the end of Breaking Bad. The tag line and the way your voiceover and script come together are crucial. Break your tale into three parts, beginning, middle, and end, be deliberate about each and the purpose it serves not only in the script but the tone of the voiceover you want.
Use a template
Maybe you are a great cook and never need a recipe. There are cookbooks, Food TV, apps, and more to get us through making meals for the rest of us. Even the best chef still has recipes in their head even if they aren’t propping open a book on the counter. The same is true for your story. Use a formula or template. Some well-known ones to start with can even act as fill-in-the-blanks for your writing and choosing a voiceover style. Watch this Google ad for a fishing charter company in Australia; it uses the famous storytelling structure called Freytag’s pyramid:
Get’s me every time!
You don’t need a huge budget to use one of these proven and winning formats. They are plug and play for both your writing and your choice and use of voiceover. Story structures are the ultimate way to start from success. This blog is a great place to start to figure out which fits your needs and overall story.
Starting from success means you can be on the right path from your first step. Many things can always come up, but using these three steps will eliminate a considerable number of obstacles. Collaboration with a great writer and a great voiceover artist then will bring it all home. I have been telling stories using these tricks for three decades in network TV, the most successful websites in the USA, and Fortune 40 companies. I’d love to be your voiceover collaborator and help you start and finish with success.