Storytelling Tips from Nora Ephron

She wrote and directed some of our most beloved films. Movies that make you weep and want to fall in love. Movies that nurture the irrational hope that one day you’ll, too, find your soul mate on the radio, or in an Internet chat room. When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle, You’ve Got Mail, Julie & Julia all came from the mind of Nora Ephron, who died yesterday at 71. In addition to being the best rom-com creator in history (and one of the best writers depicting women in film), Ephron was an acclaimed essayist and novelist. Her stories will surely stand the test of time, and her legacy will continue to inspire budding writers and directors for years to come. And so today we honor her with a few storytelling tips from the master herself. (All quotes are derived from an excellent interview with Ephron in The Believer from March of this year.)

What I really understood as a magazine writer was when the beginning had to start to end, and the middle had to begin, and when the middle had to start to end and when the ending had to begin.

Essentially, Ephron is saying that the three sections of a magazine piece must flow together but also remain somewhat independent of one another. One section must begin to end for the next section to start to begin. This is also how a presentation should flow. There must be an appropriate ending to each section and a clear opening to each new section, but a melding of the two is essential as well. There shouldn’t be a clean break between the two ideas, but rather there should be a neat handoff that allows for a little mishmash.

“I think one thing that you do is just make notes. You have to sit in a period called “not-writing” and write pages and pages of anything that crosses your mind. Or you can read things that will help you.”

Before you begin crafting a presentation, you must brainstorm, or as Ephron mused, have a “period called ‘not-writing’” or in this case, a period called ‘not-crafting’. Write down any and all ideas you have, read everything you possibly can about your subject, talk with your coworkers and friends to come up with better stories to illustrate your points. Brainstorm, brainstorm and then brainstorm some more. Fashioning the actual presentation will be infinitely easier if you’ve spent a significant amount of time brainstorming.

“‘Someday this will be a story!’” is a strange thing to say to your weeping child, and it’s counter-intuitive to me now that I’m a mother, but that’s what my parents would say to all of us.”

Perhaps the most poignant of the three reflections, Ephron shows her wisdom in the assertion that awful, heartbreaking things happen to us everyday, and it’s those occurrences that become fodder for our stories, our experiences and our ability to relate to other people. It’s important to look back at the moments that have touched you, the moments that have changed you, the moments that haven’t left your mind because of their impact. These are the moments that we should feature in our presentations because they are the moments that will leave an impression on your audience. They are the moments that will incite true feeling and encourage action.

 

Rest in peace, Nora Ephron. You will be missed. 

 

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