Anne Lamott Style Storytelling

by Susan Harrow

Published on this site: April 11th, 2005 - See more articles from this month...

The best stories are about truth telling or truth twisting. They have 6 common elements.

1. They make people feel less alone.

2. They make people feel better.

3. They make people laugh.

4. They make people cry.

5. They make people take themselves less seriously.

6. They have insightful morals that are not preachy

The stories below are paraphrased or quoted from Anne Lamott's book *Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith* to illustrate storytelling at its best.

1. Give 80% Sincerity.
   
   David Roche is the pastor of the Church of 80% Sincerity. He has a severe facial deformity that people don't notice so much after he speaks for a while and they get over the shock of it and see his radiance. He says that people with facial deformities wear their shadow on the outside whereas the rest of us wear it on the inside.
   
   *We in the Church of Eighty Percent Sincerity do not believe in miracles,* he said. *But we do believe that you have to stay alert, because good things happen. When God opens the door, you've go to put your foot in. Eighty Percent Sincerity is about as good as it's going to get. So is Eighty Percent compassion. Eighty Percent celibacy. So twenty percent of the time, you just get to be yourself.*
   
   Note: I love the way Roche cuts you slack for not being perfect. We're all on the road called *trying.* We're *trying* to live a life of 100% sincerity and when we fall short it's not so serious. He takes the smugness out of sincerity.
   
   Lamott says, *In the Church of 80% Sincerity, you definitely don't have to look good, but you are supposed to meditate. According to David's instructions, you sit quietly with your eyes closed and you follow your breath in and out of your body, gently watching your mind. Your mantra should go like this: *Why am I doing this? This is such a waste! I have so much to do! My butt itches...* And if you stick to it, he promises, from time to time calm and peace of mind will intrude. After some practice with this basic meditation, you will be able to graduate to panic meditations, and then sex fantasy meditations. And meditations on what to do when you win the lotto.
   
   When David insists you are find exactly the way you are, you find yourself almost believing him.*
   
   Note: This is a great story because it takes a big, serious subject--meditation--and really humanizes it. Also, it's really funny.
   
   
2. Explore Your Motivations.
   
   Lamott says, *I've been thinking about A.J. Muste, who during the Vietnam War stood in front of the White House night after night with a candle. One rainy night, a reporter asked him, *Mr. Muste, do you really think you are going to change the policies of this country by standing out here alone at night with a candle?*
   
   *Oh,* Muste replied, *I don't do it to change the country, I do it so the country won't change me.*
   
   Note: Stories don't have to be long or detailed. With a few lines you can situate the audience in the social fabric of the times, set the mood or atmosphere of the moment, give the specifics of the situation, and end with a great one- line soundbite.
   
   
3. Share Your Basic Philosophy.
   
   Lamott's father taught English and writing to prisoners at San Quentin in the 1950s and 60s. Lamott says he didn't get mired in moral or ethical matter, just focused on the basics of speaking, reading and writing. *My father treated them with respect and kindness, his main philosophical and spiritual position being, don't be an as-hole.*
   
   Note: Being tongue in cheek is another way not to be pompous or heavy-handed when praising yourself or others for a moral, philosophical or religious position.
   
   These stories are all soundbites about serious subjects and yet aren't preachy or prissy. When you create yours take care that you come across as earthy and likeable versus a know-it-all. Know-it-alls invite snowball throwing. They get comments behind their backs. You can easily be an expert without being an a-s by being a member of the Church of 80% Sincerity.

Learn more about getting good press and self-promotion to gain publicity for your business, product or cause in *Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul*(HarperCollins). Go to http://www.prsecretstore.com for your free excerpts today.

Susan Harrow, CEO of PRSecrets.com and BookedOnOprah.com,
is a top media coach, marketing strategist and author of *Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul* (HarperCollins), *The Ultimate Guide to Getting Booked on Oprah*, and *How You Can Get a 6-Figure Book Advance.* Clients include Fortune 500 CEOs, bestselling authors and entrepreneurs who have appeared on Oprah, 60 Minutes, NPR, and in TIME, USA Today, Parade, People, O, NY Times, WSJ, and Inc.