The Importance of Promise, Progress, and Payoff in Storytelling

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In storytelling, every good story consists of three elements: promise, progress, and payoff. The promise sets the expectations for the reader about what will happen in the story. Progress involves moving closer to the climax and finality of the story. The payoff is the resolution that fulfills the promise made at the beginning of the story. It's crucial to have a strong promise to engage readers as even a mediocre payoff or boring progress can be tolerated, but a weak promise will deter readers from the book.

Two words: Storytelling. Masterclass.

Yeah, yeah, we know — “become a better storyteller” is probably the most basic writing advice out there. But this episode is far from basic. It’s all about the storytelling advice you actually need that you didn’t get in school.

Once upon a time, Nat wrote online SEO blogs: simple, generic, and kind of boring. What he really wanted was to write a memoir: something narrative, beautiful, and exciting. But his storytelling skills didn’t match his vision. So, for two years, Nat disappeared into a cave to master the art of storytelling. He emerged with Crypto Confidential, a captivating memoir that Grammarly hates and readers love. And in this episode, he reveals the not-so-basic tactics he learned as a self-made storyteller.

Want to write stories that people actually read? This episode is for you.

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Website: https://www.nateliason.com/

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