What happened in Paris… – Julie Duffy Writing (& stuff)

Here’s what just happened at the Olympic Games in Paris:

19 days of competition
329 events
10,500+ athletes
37 new world records

But what do you actually remember?

Simone Biles overcoming the ‘twisties’, coming back stronger than ever, then dropping to one knee to salute the teammate who beat her to the gold.
Steve “Clark Kent” Nedoroscik soling the Rubik’s cube then taking off his glasses and executing a near-perfect pommel horse routine.
Tom Daly crocheting medal holders for his fellow competitors.
Ilona Maher posting hilarious “Love Island-esque” updates from the ‘Olympic Villa’…then going on to win bronze in the Women’s Rugby Sevens.
Katie Ledecky’s smile.
That French pole vaulter….

We don’t love stats.

We love stories.

Redemption stories
Underdog stories
Funny stories.
Tear jerkers.

Without the stories behind the medals, we wouldn’t have cared who could jump the highest, twist the hardest, swim the fastest, or make the smallest splash.

In a recent email to my creative writing list, I shared a story about a trip home to Scotland and how the simple act of taking a train changed my perspective. I challenged my audience to tell me about a time when they had stopped to notice the details around them.

That story earned me more replies, blog comments, and social media hearts than anything I’ve written in a while.

Notice, I didn’t give them ‘6 Sure-Fire Ways to Become a Best-Selling Writer’.

I gave them one story, and one strategy, to help them become better observers, and therefore better writers…all wrapped up in a story.

And it connected.

What story—from your daily life, or even from the Olympics—could you share this week, to let your audience connect with you?

Have an idea for a story but aren’t sure how to make it relevant to your audience? Hit ‘reply’ and tell me about it. I’ll choose a few people’s ideas to work with this week, and share the results here.

Warmly,

Julie