You just started creating a story. Things are going well, and then… you start to second guess yourself. You don’t know what comes next, so you find yourself distracted, and you give into it.

Within a matter of seconds you are consuming the many stories around you: movies, social media, and a million other forms of content. Then your own story gets pushed aside for the others that are finished and available right in front of you.

A tap or click here, a swipe there, and you have more stories than you can consume in a lifetime. If this feels familiar, please know you’re not alone.

We’re All In A State Of Story Overload

Everywhere you look, you are surrounded by stories. It’s absolutely unavoidable. Online and offline. Digital and analog. Stories are all around you; each one is battling for your attention.

So what can we do about it? How do we create and tell our own stories?

Here are some specific steps you can take.

Go Ahead And Get Distracted

Instead of trying to avoid all distraction, just embrace the distraction. Go for a story dive. Dive as deep as you want down the rabbit hole. But you should do it intentionally, with a timer.

One hour is fine. A half an hour is even better.

Figure out what you love and what you hate.

• What inspires you?
• What excites you?
• What bores you?
• What makes you move on to another story?

All of this matters a lot more than you realize. This will also help you figure out a way to tell your story.

Next, Start Planting Story Seeds.

A story seed is an idea that interests you. It will often start with two powerful words: What If…

Set aside your story seed and see if it grows.

And the story seed may or may not grow. That’s okay.

Some Story Seeds Take More Time To Grow

It might develop into a short story, a blog post, a video or a podcast. Maybe it will even become a novel or a screenplay.

You can’t control the story seed. All you can do is feed it and nuture it.

So how do you do that?

Go back to those two words: What if… Allow your mind to wonder. Then answer the question. There are no right or wrong answers.

And it’s totally fine if no answers come.

If it doesn’t come bursting out of you
in spite of everything, don’t do it.

If you have to wait for it to roar out of
you, then wait patiently. — Charles Bukowski

Keep showing up. I know it sounds like work, but stories require effort.

Good stories rarely — if ever — write themselves.

But you know in your gut there is something there. A story is waiting somewhere. Don’t give up. Every time you show up, you keep giving story seeds the water and sunlight they need.

One day, you’ll start to see some serious growth.

A Simple Story Structure You Can Use

Here’s a simple way to write better stories that screenwriters have known for years: stories have a three-part structure to them.

All stories have a beginning, middle and end.

Too much of any one part and the audience gets bored. Once you figure out what part of the story you’re working on, the easier the writing gets.

You suddenly have some perspective. Now you can start putting the pieces together.

Suddenly you will start to see where things start to come together. But it can’t that easy, can it? Let’s dig a little deeper into the parts of a story.

Your Takeaway

Focus on one story to tell at a time. I know this is a challenge because simplicity is not easy to achieve when you are distracted. You might have to unplug altogether and start from scratch. Spend some time alone and use paper if the computer or phone are distracting you.

Tell the one story in the easiest way possible. Don’t make it complicated. If it seems confusing, keep digging and take the story to the most simple level. The more you keep digging — and simplifying — the more clarity you’ll have.

Try the 3-act structure. Everything fits into a beginning, middle and end. It just might not be in that order at first. So keep playing with it. Keep working on it. Don’t give up. Stories take time.

Want some support? I offer professional coaching to make sure you craft the best story possible.