I have always had a passion for writing.

When my parents got my first phone, I remember scrolling the internet and seeing beautiful and insightful write-ups with beautiful images on them. Going ahead, I googled what these beautiful write-ups with awesome images were all about and I found out they were called “Blog posts”. Hence, It fueled my passion to become a blogger. 

My blog has been running for four years. While I get better through practice, I know the best writers, write in the community. They go to school, have writer friends, and connect with others to increase in skill and understanding of the craft.

That’s why I signed up to volunteer for Story Luck and I want to share a few of my takeaways after working with them for a few days.

Active listening means comprehension. 

To prove you’ve understood what someone is saying you can reframe the meaning of the story in your own words or you can ask insightful questions. Every storyteller needs patience when listening to verbal stories. Patience is key to active listening.

Storytellers use active listening to sell their own stories to the public. If you don’t listen to your audience, if you don’t hear their stories, you can’t understand what stories they want to hear. You can’t share in resonant ways if you can’t be a mirror to your audience.

Daniel Andrew Boyd, the president of Story Luck, gave me a glimpse at how he practices active listening.

I shared a short story about a friend of mine who was, sadly, murdered.

While I told my story, Mr. Boyd listened attentively. But after I was done he went further. He asked questions because he wanted to understand my story. Sometimes teachers will ask questions to lead you in certain directions. Their questions become scaffolding for your learning. Other times, questions are meant to bolster their comprehension. They want to know what themes you desire your audience to take away from the story.

Despite the language, the culture, and the color differences, through careful questioning he understood the message I wished to convey with my story.

Paying attention to other’s stories births creativity. 

Listening to personal stories and experiences provides a fresh perspective and authentic details you can use in your own stories later. The more you can get in someone else’s head, the richer your stories. And you can’t get inside someone’s head without conversation.

Hence, a you can improve your listening ability by letting people share their full thoughts without interruption. While listening, pay attention to the speaker’s tone of voice, facial expression, and body language. Take notice of these gestures to form a deep connection. When the story is over, paraphrase key points confirming the story was well understood. Or to get feedback if you didn’t understand the story.

Curiosity as a storytelling tool.

A good story stirs up curiosity.

Kids are still eager to hear either their mum or dad tell them bedtime stories. You’ll see them in the bookstore, “Can we have this one too!” Clutching the latest Diary of a Wimpy Kid in their hands. 

It makes sense, curiosity for what happens next can lead writers to the next question, “How was that achieved?” Or, “What’s the best way for me to achieve an emotional effect on my audience?”

Curiosity is also a tool for unraveling hidden stories.

When you are working with a master storyteller, their questions will explode. You’ll walk away with more story ideas than you started with.

Curiosity keeps the audience engaged, encouraging them to seek answers and stay informed.

For a story to be beautiful, suspense is essential and suspense is what begets curiosity and makes the audience want to know more. 

Reasons to spark curiosity: 

• A character might receive a cryptic message. If a character wants to know what it’s about, so do the listeners. Also, a story might begin in the middle of a scene, which leaves the audience wondering how the situation arose.
  
• Curiosity fuels listener emotions, which begets audience investment.
  
• When you inspire your audience to think, “What if?” This is a strategy for triggering curiosity, leaving the audience leaning in to hear if they’ve guessed the outcome.

In the words of Salman Rushdie, “A writer without curiosity is like a bird without wings.”

Hence, suspense begets curiosity and curiosity begets a good story.

Curiosity also fuels emotions, leaving the audience to become emotionally invested in such a story. 

Genuine curiosity is the birthplace of active listening.

So the next time you’re working on a story, find a good listener.

You’ll know they are a good listener if they ask insightful questions. Ask yourself, do they help you understand your story better, and think of new stories to tell? You need active listeners to help you grow as a storyteller. 

But you also need to cultivate this skill on your own to understand how to build suspense in your own stories.