6 Things For Better Script Writing
6 Things for Better Script Writing
So there you were, staring at the white space of a page. The cursor blinking makes you feel like you are about to go mad. Your palms are sweaty and you haven’t showered. You got up from your desk thinking going for a run might jog your mind, but it didn’t help. So there you sit with the smell of fear.
You still don’t know where to begin or how to write your first words. You begin to feel the struggle and the pressure of time as this paper was due the following morning. College was a time of exploration, to expand new ideas and explore new thoughts. But none of that seemed to matter because by morning, at 9 am, you had to have your paper finished to pass the class and you have nothing.
I think a lot of us can relate to that feeling. The daunting task of beginning to write something that would get a good grade or a good mark from an employer. When it comes to scripts for story-based marketing, it can be no different. But the truth is, no matter what the story, there is something out there that has stood the test of time and that is the story arc.
Here are 6 Things That Will Help You Write a Good Story-Based Marketing Script.
When using this simple version of the story arc, paired with the 3 questions and the story based pyramid, you are set up for success to write a story that inspires. But let's take a look at the sections of the story arc.
1. The first section is the exposition and introduction of characters. If you look at my example above about the college paper, I was putting into the beginning the feeling, a common emotion that we may have felt or can relate with. The exposition is describing the setting and sets up the introduction of the character. In the example, you were the character.
2. After the exposition and introduction of characters, we see the rising action. In this case, it was the blank page and the cursor. There is tension felt in that moment. For your own story, it might be something a little more interesting. Think of your favorite movie, they all follow a story arc.
3. The third thing I introduced was the conflict. There were no words that came to mind. So you the character couldn’t think, so you went for a run to try and jog your mind into being able to.
4. The climax is the point of the story where you don’t know if good or evil is going to win. Although I really didn’t write a climax for the story above as it was just meant to be an example, it could have been...that a friend came in to help and got you to think of a topic for your paper finally and so you began to write. You wrote all through the night. And at 8:55 am finished printing your paper and had to run it over to the professor. You usually can run it in 7 min, but this time you only had 5 min. Will you make it? That’s the climax.
5. Next, we have the falling action. If this story was finished it could have been, you made it in 5 min and the teacher received your paper...looked it over...gave a bunch of hmmm and huhs...but eventually gave you a passing grade.
6. And lastly, you have the resolution. The teacher gave you a grade which means you can graduate college! Good for you. Does that make you feel good?
Using a Story Arc in Marketing Will Inspire People Towards Your Product
I know it’s silly, but using this story arc in your marketing efforts can really work to inspire people towards your product, brand, or service. Pairing this with the 3 questions and the story-based pyramid will make you an excellent storyteller.
Try using the pyramid and asking the 3 questions. Then use the story arc to outline the story. What’s your exposition and introduction of characters? What is your rising action? What is the conflict? What is the climax of the story? What is the falling action? And finally what is the resolution?
Remember as we learned in a previous week, don’t make you the hero, make your consumers the hero of the story. You’re just the friend that comes in and helps them along the way. They are the real heroes of the story and they will love you for it.
