<p>Human beings seem to be born with a gene for telling stories. Stories from our families, our communities, and the media form our worldview and shape our lives. In fact, scientists have discovered that our ability to create stories is intricately connected to our ability to learn. This is because our brains seek to create meaning through relationship, which is what stories do so well. Our storytelling faculty comes into play not only when we speak, but also when we read, which means that our brains are unconsciously seeking a well-told story in every kind of writing–whether it be a business proposal, an academic essay or the Great American Novel. When a story connects with us, it can have a powerful effect on our thoughts and decisions. When it doesn't connect with us, however, it may leave us confused, bored, or even angry. The question is: Why do some stories succeed while others do not? <i>This data has been written with the help of https://essayfreelancewriters.com .</i></p><br /><br /><br /><br /><p>The answer lies in the architecture of a story, which at the most basic level requires a beginning, a middle, and an ending. The beginning needs a way to draw readers into the story and make them want to keep reading. The middle needs to tell the basic parts of the story in some kind of logical order so that readers can follow and understand it. And the ending needs to tie up loose ends, being sure to answer any questions that have been raised. Successful stories are always targeted at a particular audience and use language and terminology the audience understands. They also use concrete details and strong, active verbs to add color, emotion and energy. If any of these elements are missing from our written communications, we will confuse our readers at best and completely fail in our purpose at worst. When I am browsing in a bookstore and pick up a book, I usually look at the first paragraph.</p><br /><br /><p>If something about the writing "hooks" me, I read further. If it doesn't, I put the book back on the shelf. If I accidentally pick up a book in Italian–a language I do not know–I put it back immediately because I am not its intended audience. In other words, it literally doesn't "speak" to me! Once I begin to read the book, I expect the author to lead me skillfully through his story, giving me as much detail as I need to understand and visualize his ideas. Sometimes, however, the author's plot jumps around so much that I have a hard time following it. Sometimes the author's characters are so vaguely drawn that I can't keep them straight. The result is that I end up not caring about them at all, and I soon forget the whole thing. Sometimes I get to the end of a book and find that the author has left me hanging, without tying up loose ends and satisfactorily answering my who, what, when, where, why and how questions.</p><br /><br /><p>As I experience each of these frustrations, there is a good chance that I will misunderstand what the author is trying to say, lose interest in his message altogether, or start becoming irritated with the author himself. This is obviously not the kind of reaction any writer wants to engender. If you are writing business or academic communications, and are not a professional novelist, what can you do to ensure that your "story" succeeds? One possible solution is to write your communication using the Story Spine technique. This technique, which is described by Kat Koppett in her book Training to Imagine: Practical Improvisational Theatre Techniques to Enhance Creativity, Teamwork, Leadership, and Learning, is especially good at helping writers build their narrative without getting lost. In the "Everyday" step, you present some background information and further develop your message. The "But one day" step represents your catalyst. The "Because of that" step represents the heart, or main section, of your story.</p><br />