The bread of your story sandwich

Beginnings and endings

In this lesson, we continue to delve into the concept of the story sandwich: focusing on the 'bread' or the beginnings and endings of a story. This lesson will explore the importance of strong openings and satisfying closures, providing examples and insights to help you master the art of storytelling.

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The Bread of the Story Sandwich: Beginnings

The beginning of a story serves as the foundation, setting the stage for what's to come. It's crucial to captivate your audience from the very start, hooking their attention and leaving them curious to learn more.

Consider starting with a powerful opening line, a thought-provoking question, or a vivid description that immediately transports your listeners or readers into the world of your story: this goes for both business and creative fiction.

Additionally, providing a glimpse of the conflict or problem within the first few sentences can create intrigue and motivate the audience to continue listening or reading. This tactic is great for investor pitches, research presentations, and setting the scene in fiction.

Start with short sharp sentences before you build into lengthier, more extravagant pros. If you start on a long sentence, it's almost guaranteed that your reader will lose interest or have to re-read the piece. So, deliver the starters before the main course.

It's also a good idea to start with a line of dialogue as this draws the reader immediately into the action.

And lastly, leave some easter eggs in the beginning. These are little nuggets of information that once your readers get to the end they will make sense of. However, adding them at the beginning creates a recognition by the time they get to those reveals that will make your reader connect even more with your story.

In fiction writing: easter eggs can be motifs or foreshadowing. They present insights via the gift of hindsight, as readers realize what they've read further down the line, and you'll have them muttering: "why didn't I see it coming? It all makes sense."

In business writing: easter eggs can lean more heavily on atomic research nuggets (borrowed from UX research reports) atomic research nuggets typically accompany a report and provide bite-size, digestible learnings that researchers continue to deliver to their team for continuous learning and sticky data. These can be presented at the beginning of business writing to spark intrigue and continue throughout as the reader understands them more with each paragraph.

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The Bread of the Story Sandwich: Endings

Equally important is the ending of a story, as it can leave a lasting impression on your audience. A well-crafted ending not only brings closure to the narrative but also leaves a strong emotional impact. It can tie up loose ends, offer a resolution to the conflict, or provide a satisfying twist.

For instance, ending a story with an unexpected revelation or a poignant reflection can leave your audience with a sense of wonder or contemplation. Consider wrapping up your story with a memorable line or a final image that resonates with the main theme or message of your story. A powerful ending will stay with your audience long after the story is over, ensuring that your storytelling is memorable, effective, and continues to sell.

A great way to end your story is by connecting it to the beginning. Maybe the imagery that's described is related, or as we saw in The Golden Boy, at the start we describe a character that can't fall asleep. While, in the end, we describe how the character can finally sleep, she is finally free.

Another way to end your story is to end in action. Action-filled endings and cliffhangers tend to lead to following books better and leave your reader wanting more. However, some authors choose to go for a more well-rounded ending and leave the reader satisfied—it’s a matter of style and intent.

When it comes to business writing, a lot of these concepts ring true in blog writing or presentations.

Leaving your audience with a strong emotional impact is a best-fit for customers and relating to their pain points, driving them home in closing. Offering a resolution to the conflict you know your audience is going through, typically the product or plan. A poignant reflection, a memorable line, or a final image that resonates with the main theme of what you're discussing will help your work stick. Lastly, I cannot stress enough, connecting it to the beginning. Remind your audience why they're reading in the first place, and deliver on the promise that you set in the introduction.

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TL;DR

When it comes to beginnings, remember to:

• Start with small sentences
• Start in the middle of the action
• Introduce your Easter eggs
• Use strong visuals and imagery

And, when it comes to endings, remember to:

• Tie them back to the beginning
• End in action—if you’re inclined to do so
• Use juxtaposition in your vocabulary to heighten drama