Beginnings are easy; there is no pressure. It’s only a beginning and there will be plenty of time for revision so feel free and just have fun.
This is my general philosophy when it comes to creative endeavors.
Cooking is both meditative and creative for me and I find getting started is the easy part. Chop vegetables or put some water on to boil. Look in the fridge and see what you have to use up. It’s toward the end of the process that I sometimes run into trouble. Last weekend I attempted sweet and sour cabbage soup, a favorite of my mother’s. But I didn’t have quite the right ingredients and my improvisation was a big fail…as in I actually threw into the compost the mess I had made.
I do this with stories sometimes. The beginning is strong and I’m excited to keep going. But at some point, I know it’s not going to work so I’ll save the ideas for another attempt in the future and move on.
Enjoy the Honeymoon
The beginning of relationships are always exciting because they hold the potential for greatness. When I start working with a student or client, I love that getting-to-know-you time because it’s a chance to really connect, learn from each other, and uncover interests in common. That’s what beginnings represent: the potential for greatness in any form it might take.
The beginning is usually when you have a (clear or muddy) vision of what you can build and the change you can make in this world. A feeling of excitement prevails.
I know some people don’t like the ambiguity of beginnings and would much prefer an exacting road map. As a small business entrepreneur, I know that beginnings should feel like riding with training wheels: you get on the bike feeling a little unsteady and unsure of yourself. But once you start pedaling, before you know it, you’re racing down the hill, excited to get to where you’re going.
Your origin story, what made you so passionate about this product in the first place, is the story you must keep coming back to in the frustrating times.
It’s the Middles That Frustrate
Small business owners and writers have a roadblock in common: Middles. The middle of a story is always the toughest part. How do you keep the reader’s interest until the end? The captivating beginning has passed and now you’re into the nitty gritty of moving the story along.
For business owners, it’s in the middle when you may forget or begin to doubt your origin story, what made you so passionate about this product in the first place. This happens because we forget to revisit that story and the energy boost it gives us. Stories change as you change and as your company changes. Even your reason for being may evolve as you adjust to a different business atmosphere or changing customer needs.
Endings Don’t Have To Be The End
Endings however, are rarely clear. Last week at a party full of longtime friends, we all knew it was time to go home but no one wanted to be the first to leave and miss out on any good stories or jokes. Once we were home we still didn’t want the night to end and the texts started flying as we traded photos and relived the delicious food.
I feel that way as a reader, even at the end of a story is it really the end? I don’t think so because the characters and ideas have a long shelf life in my brain. In fact, I think of endings as something to look forward to because it means there is a new beginning just about to start, even if it’s only in my imagination.
Stick The Landing
Endings in stories can be tricky. Do you tie it up with a bow? Or do you leave room for the reader to continue the story in her head? I much prefer the more ambiguous vs. the tie-a-bow-on-it type. I like deciding or imagining what might happen to the characters once the official story is over. I like making the story my own.
The stories we write for work are different though. First, I never assume my reader will even get to the end, which is why I am always teaching students to put the important stuff up at the top. If you need your reader to take an action, don’t make them wait to find out what it is. Be blunt. Take a hint from advertising and tell them what to do before you explain every detail.
My philosophy about communications—whether it’s a story, client pitch, advertisement, or a project report—is that these are never one-way affairs. They have to be conversations in which all parties are actively participating and adding their thoughts.
How do you do this when you send something to be read by someone you may not even know?
Ask questions, invite interaction, include a specific action, and if they get to the end, give them something they can really chew on.
Year-Ends
I will be launching (well, really just expanding) my consulting and coaching, offering sage story advice and presentation prep to entrepreneurs, emerging leaders, and those working in social impact businesses and organizations.
I’m looking forward to a year of balancing the familiar with the never-tried-before. A year of beginnings, maybe a few endings, and lots of adventures in between.
The End. Finis. Fin. I’m outta here.
