Tell a Story to Share the Truth
February 19, 2009 – 10:09 am“If you want someone to simply hear the truth, tell them. If you want someone to know the truth, tell them a story.” Eudora Welty [Hat tip to @gileskirk]
What a powerful reminder from one of my favorite writers! (Welty’s One Writer’s Beginnings is a must-read.)
When you’re writing nonfiction, it’s easy to fall into a just-the-facts-ma’am approach. No one is a greater fan of logical explanations of facts than I am, but facts and story aren’t mutually exclusive.
As you’re writing your book, stop now and then to check your writing for story. If it’s mostly cold, hard facts, spend some time thinking about how you can put meat on the bones with a story to press the truth in to the hearts of your readers.
The parables of Jesus come to mind as a great example of conveying truth through story. What other examples can you think of?
4 Responses to “Tell a Story to Share the Truth”
Max Lucado’s books teach great truths because he captures and couches them in stories. I don’t remember much about the math my fourth-grade teacher must have taught us. But I do remember her reading Charlotte’s Web (italics implied) aloud. The power of story captures hearts and minds like nothing else.
Jesus: the first writing coach. Who knew?
By Marti Pieper on Feb 21, 2009
Thanks for this reminder Mary Jo! I do tend to get bogged down in the hard cold facts.
By Cathy on Feb 23, 2009
This is so true. Many good books make use of stories, Mary Jo.
My favorites are the Narnia books by C.S. Lewis. On the surface all he wrote was a story. But there are so many spiritual truths hidden within.
For instance, after many times re-reading these books with my children, I still pause to reflect when Eustace sheds his dragon skin in ‘The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.’
By Kristine on Feb 23, 2009
Great quotation.
Balancing fact and story is a challenge in a short medium like a blog post, but bloggers who do both are so readable.
By Meredith on Mar 15, 2009