Story or Die

Introduction

"Those who tell the stories rule the world." Hopi Proverb

As the plane touched down at LaGuardia Airport, I breathed a sigh of relief. Weather had delayed my flight, but we d made up time in the air and so, thankfully, I d get into midtown Manhattan in time to make the meeting it had taken months to set up.

But instead of taxiing to the gate, we came to a dead stop in what looked like the middle of the airfield. My anxiety rose as we deplaned down a rickety metal staircase, and, with airport vehicles whisking by scarily close, headed toward a terminal in the distance. Once inside, I sprinted out of the airport and stopped short. LaGuardia, I realized, was in the midst of a massive reconstruction. It was a madhouse. I was searching frantically for a taxi stand, a bus stop, anything, when another weary traveler tapped me on the shoulder and pointed to a very long line. All ground transportation was miles away; the line was for a shuttle bus that would take us there wherever there was.

It took more than forty minutes. I was going to miss my meeting for sure.

But that wasn t what made the experience unbearable. After all, airports need to grow, construction is necessary, and often delays can t be avoided. I get that.

What made it excruciating was the recording that played over and over as the shuttle bus slowly navigated the rubble. A perky male voice apologized for the delay, and then went on to tell us the inconvenience was well worth it, because of how amazing, elegant, and streamlined the new terminal would be. He extolled the enhanced floor-to-ceiling views of Flushing Bay, the sleek modern construction, how many upscale eateries travelers would soon have to choose from, how spacious it would be, how very relaxing.

The implication was clear: surely we d feel that our discomfort was a small price to pay because they were building something dazzling. They were wrong.

Because that announcement communicated something

Lisa Cron is a story coach, speaker, and the author of Wired for Story and Story Genius. She has previously worked as a literary agent, a television producer, and a story consultant for Warner Brothers and The William Morris Agency, among others, and currently advises writers, nonprofits, educators, and journalists on the art and craft of story. Cron has also served on the faculty of the School of Visual Arts MFA program in visual narrative, and since 2006 has taught in the UCLA Extension Writers Program. She lives in Santa Monica, California.

Since ancient times (and childhood bedtime, for that matter), we ve known that stories are humans most compelling force. Now, in Story or Die, Lisa Cron masterfully shows you how to turn your stories into an unstoppable force of persuasion. Jay Heinrichs, author of Thank You for Arguing

Lisa Cron is authoritative, compelling, and always worth listening to. If storytelling is important to your work in any way, Story or Die is essential reading. Andy Goodman, director, The Goodman Center

Lisa Cron has studied the science and architecture of powerful stories for decades. In Story or Die, she translates her knowledge into a compelling storytelling guide for anyone with an idea to spread or a cause to advance. If you want to change how others see the world, then this book will show you how. Bernadette Jiwa, creator of The Story Skills Workshop