Creative Ways to Tell Your Stories
No one cares what you did last weekend… unless you tell one hell of a story. 
A lot of us write personal blogs. We tell stories about sleep deprivation, summer vacations and other “everyday” things.
Let’s say something happens and you decide it makes good blog fodder. The easiest way to write is to purge it all from your mind. Type, type, type it out.
But sometimes it ends up sounding a little like “First we did this. Then we went here. And then. And then.”
It could have been the most hilarious, off-the-wall, OMG-did-that-really-happen story EVER but if you don’t capture your readers’ attention in the first few lines, they’ll never finish reading.
So, How Can You Tell Your Story More Creatively?
Sorry to interject but this full post is now over at Momcomm.com, my blog that’s chock full of can-do blogging tips. Stop by to finish reading Creative Ways to Tell Your Stories and other posts about writing, social media, blog critiques and more!
{ 39 comments… read them below or add one }
Wow! thanks! I’m so flattered that you liked that post. It is one of my personal favorites as well. I love these suggestions – great for getting around those plodding “I took Susie to the soccer game and then we went to lunch” posts! I’m putting this on the B2B bloggy roundup again this week!
xoxo
gigi recently posted..The Fabulous 5
Thanks Gigi– I really enjoyed the last B2B roundup!
You are dead on! Writing about everyday life CAN be interesting to read, as long as it’s delivered in an engaging way!
liz recently posted..I Promise I Wasn’t Stealing from the ATM!
Don’t forget my personal favorite tool: expletives! (Depending on your audience, of course)
Brenna recently posted..Advice on Advice
Definitely depends on the audience but, yes, well-placed expletives can add a good bit of zing. And sometimes there are just no other words.
Will need to see if I can freshen up the way I tell my stories! These are all great ideas and great reads!!
Melisa recently posted..Almost Famous
Twitter: BrittanyVandy
January 24, 2011 at 9:39 am
Aw thanks for thinking my letter was okay and not oh so boring! I love writing letters to my kids and I think it makes people think of what they would write to theirs instead of just wondering why I am telling them how many bites of cake she had.
Can’t wait to read the other mentions!
Brittany at Mommy Words recently posted..Pro-Choice with a Side of Tears
I loved it! I’m such a record keeper– I write down the kids’ sayings, milestones, etc. but one thing I’ve always been bad about it writing letter to the kids. Need to get on that!
Twitter: ThetaMom
January 24, 2011 at 10:02 am
Thanks so much for the shout out!! And what a great post to remind us that we can turn some of those “mundane” kind of experiences into well written and clever posts. LOVE how you presented it here. Spot on!!
Thanks– you’re always great at making posts relatable which is surely part of the reason you’re such a successful blogger.
Twitter: Missy_Stevens
January 24, 2011 at 10:06 am
Loved this. Makes me wonder if I’m guilty of the blah, blah, blah sometimes. Now I will think about this every time I post!
Missy @ Wonder, Friend recently posted..Am I Beyond Help My Trip to the Spa
Great post! I think the more creative the better.
Great ideas! I try to change it up a bit to make it interesting…now I’m wondering if I need to do a better job
Twitter: Heligirl
January 24, 2011 at 10:52 am
Why thank you so much for the call out.
I’m blushing. Thanks also for the great reminder about telling our stories in different, engaging ways. I remember Shell’s story too. It was captivating! Thanks for keeping these great tips coming my fellow self-employed guru!
Heligirl recently posted..Mom Tip Monday- Encouragement Part 2
Hehe– I’ve had this post in my head for a while now and your post was one I kept thinking “I’ll have to link to this when I do that post.”
Twitter: MrsJenBardall
January 24, 2011 at 12:19 pm
So true! Just because something is interesting to the storyteller doesn’t mean it’ll be worth more than a snore to the reader. Definitely something to keep in mind!
Oooh several blogs I’ve never read! Thanks for sharing!
Erin Lane recently posted..Im a Diaper Bag Hoarder
Twitter: crazyadventures
January 24, 2011 at 1:26 pm
Thank you! This is SUCH a wonderful reminder of how to spice things up and write better. I am honored to have been included here, and can’t wait to read these instances you cited. Thank you!
Lisa @ Crazy Adventures in Parenting recently posted..The Untold Rules for Military Goodbyes
Mel, this is dead on. Thanks for sharing!
Twitter: mommyneedsvaca
January 24, 2011 at 1:32 pm
Couldn’t agree with you more! Everyday life is EXCITING…but you have to tell it the right way!! I love all of your post picks for examples too!
Rachel {at} Mommy Needs a Vacation recently posted..Because Everyone Needs to Let Loose Once in Awhile
Twitter: AbbyOTR
January 24, 2011 at 1:52 pm
This is great! As a blogger and a nonfiction writing teacher, I tell people this all the time. HOW you tell the story is as important as WHAT your story’s about. I’ve used many of the techniques mentioned here. My recent fave was a mock “police report” I wrote about an incident w/ my sons at bathtime: http://www.diaryofanewmom.net/2010/11/police-report-sink-incident.html
Abby recently posted..Off the Clock
Not only is your police report brilliant but the sketch is hysterical!
Twitter: sugabowlmix
January 24, 2011 at 5:12 pm
Really good list with some fun ideas. I think Melanie at The Big Mama Blog does a fantastic job of journaling the every day in a very engaging and hilarious way. At the end of the day all writing is storytelling and it has to engage.
Anne recently posted..Macadamia and white chocolate cookies
I’d never heard of her blog but just checked it out and you’re definitely right. Great writing!
All of these are great ideas! Why do we make it boring? Can’t wait to check out some of the new people. Thanks for the list. . .seriously, this must have taken some time!
Amy Sullivan recently posted..Safe Birthing Kits and 24 Inches of String
Took longer than I thought but luckily there are so many great bloggers out there to chose from!
Twitter: haglerhappening
January 24, 2011 at 8:02 pm
Another amazing post, Melissa! I’m bookmarking this one for sure.
Twitter: myorgchaos
January 25, 2011 at 7:16 pm
I really like this post Melissa…I recently tried the “Write a Letter” option, but my readership is so low lately, I didn’t get a single comment. In my opinion was a fun post to read and write…Oh well I’ll continue to move forward and try some of your other suggestions!! Thanks, as always!!
Sometimes when I write a post I really loved, I try to promote it maybe a little more than my others. There are so many factors though that come into play with no comments– slow day, bad time of day, etc. Hang in there and keep writing!
Twitter: myorgchaos
January 27, 2011 at 7:18 am
Thank you Melissa for your kind words…I’ll hang in there
I was wondering little about the networked blogs, I see you have followers, I am a follower too, but how does that work, is it a facebook page for your blog? or more? Would that work into a momcomm post? Have a great day!
Brilliant.
And now I want to go back and rewrite my last post. And the one before that. and that. and that.
Next time: A third person diary. That rhymes.
(or perhaps that would make me seem like an overachiever.)
Clearly, I’m still very new at this blogging thing.
So seriously? Thanks for the tips. I am sure I’m at risk of the “and then and then and then” story.
And I don’t want to make people cringe more than they have to.
julie recently posted..Today call me arid
Haha- your comment made me laugh out loud. Don’t sweat the “and then and then stories.” Sometimes that’s all we got in us at that particular moment. And there’s nothing essentially WRONG with those kinds of posts from time to time. No cringing allowed.
Twitter: kristinglas
January 27, 2011 at 8:43 pm
This is something I need to improve on. I get caught up in just getting the post written and forget to make it interesting.
Kristin @ Peace, Love and Muesli recently posted..A Pep Talk For You And Me
Twitter: DesignerWife
January 28, 2011 at 11:28 am
LOVE THIS! I’m cracking up going back through the blog posts that you linked to. I remember reading Gigi’s and loved the timeline idea. Good stuff!
Melissa.. you always have such great ideas. Thanks. I loved all the different way you described.
Anne recently posted..A Wise Homemaker
These are all great ideas – and great examples. Thanks for sharing.
Life In A Pink Fibro recently posted..Weekend Rewind
I can definitely take more than a couple of pointers from this. Thank you for the great advice and examples. Retweeting and Stumbling now.
Tonya recently posted..Project Smile – January
Twitter: KelleysBreakRm
January 31, 2011 at 5:58 pm
I totally agree! I am always on the hunt for creatively written blogs. Blogs that look at an event, a story, etc. and tell it from an unusual angle. This post was great!
Twitter: OldTweener
January 31, 2011 at 6:15 pm
I love visiting over here, because you always make me think. Think about making things better, think about what it is I’m doing here in the blogosphere! You have excellent pointers and I totally agree with this post! My favorite was Gigi’s, and reading it was like listening to her on the phone….well, if I called her that is.
Sherri recently posted..Driven to Insanity
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