How people pleasing may be what’s killing your stories.
Imagine, Merlin’s Magical Ice Cream Shop!
In this ice cream shop there are an infinite number of flavors available to choose from. How many flavors would you try before giving up? Of course you could just get vanilla, but everyone likes vanilla. That’s safe, right? But I wonder, if it’s so simple that everyone likes it, is it even worth trying?
This isn’t about ice cream.
3 Reasons You Should Stop “People Pleasing” When Writing.
- Polarity Breeds Passion.
Novice writers want to go broad.
Writers always want to write a story that everyone can relate to. If everyone relates to what is written and feels the same way the writer does about a piece of work, then it’s easy to assume that the story will gain traction. But, like vanilla ice cream, no one will have a reason to talk about something that they aren’t truly passionate about.
Rocky Road though? There’s entire Facebook groups dedicated to the appreciation of that flavor. It’s because it’s strong, specific, and different.
- If Everyone Likes it, it’s Not Yours.
Taking the same analogy of Merlin’s Magical Ice Cream Shop.
You’ve just arrived with some friends and the one you have a crush on asks, “What flavor should I get? There are too many to choose from and I’ve only ever had vanilla before.”
Your favorite flavor is Mint Chocolate Chip. It reminds you of the Mondays after school where your mother used to put a single mint leaf on your cone. She’d plucked it from the garden just to add some kick.
You could suggest vanilla, fearful your crush wouldn’t like your favorite!
But, if you say Mint Chocolate Chip is your favorite, and they try that one, you find out that they are willing to take risks for you. Even if they don’t like it! This is true of your audience as well. When you make extreme choices in your writing, ones that polarize, you find out what they truly like, and what they don’t like. And in that process there’s an important dialogue.
- If it’s Not Your White Hot Truth, Why Share It?
Why go to an ice cream shop at all if you’re just going to get vanilla!
When a story matters to you, it will connect with an audience on a deeper level. It will connect specifically with the people who GET you. It will connect to your tribe. If the story doesn’t matter to you, but is instead some safe vanilla bet… if it doesn’t come from your white hot experience… it won’t grab the reader either.
Sure, not everyone had the experience you did, but that’s why the experience is beautiful.
Every person is unique, every person has their own stories to tell. You’ve only got so much time on this Earth, why tell a lukewarm story that everyone has heard a million times and everyone likes but no one loves.
No, not everyone is going to relate to it, and some may even feel disdain, but that’s how important art gets made! A powerful story is one that allows the consumer to interpret what the story means in the context of their own life.
To take a deeper dive into your stories with industry professionals, join us for our weekly workshop every Sunday by following this link:https://savvycal.com/StoryLuck/FL/
There’s plenty of people who can cookie-cutter good. I encourage you to be honest. Tell the story you’re scared to tell because you love it so much you couldn’t stand it if people didn’t understand. Tell the story that has meaning to you, and tell the story that you want to tell.
Because if it’s not your story, your truth, then it wont be your audiences story either.
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