Telling Short Stories on Facebook

Here is a brief short story I shared on Facebook last summer. Please read it over, and then I will share some of the key components which go into sharing short stories.

“So I was leading a friend through some of the Daily Exercise Routine that I practice in a Public Park today. There was a group of 8-10yr old boys trickling in for their Football Practice. My friend and I began to play "Peace Sticks," a moving meditation where you toss sticks back and forth. It's fun with 2 people, but it gets EXPONENTIALLY BETTER as you play in a circle of people. 

First 2 boys joined us. We immediately began tossing sticks, laughing, and smiling together. Without even sharing our names or shaking hands, we became friends through this incredible game. Within minutes we had a circle of 7 boys plus my friend and I tossing sticks. We began beatboxing, and humming Jingle Bells. I started teaching them how to hum the tune while beatboxing :) It was PURE MAGIC. 

They were getting ready for Football Practice, and we had to finish our session, so we parted ways and I shook their hands and we exchanged names. I was filled with joy and gratitude. 

Overall, it reminded me of the power of PLAY to make new connections, and Peace Sticks is a phenomenal game for that. I also had a great time leading the Holistic Coaching session for my friend, helping her with a new daily exercise practice for grounding and centering. I am truly grateful to be living what feels like my soul purpose. If you are ever interested in receiving any support on Holistic Living, plz let me know. 

Lastly, please join us this Sunday Sept. 1st for the Global Day of Action for Amazonia. And hey, just this minute Nahko is playing on mainstream radio. Times are changing. Keep up the great work, my friends.”

Photo at Express Fest, holding Peace Sticks - by Joe Morrison.”

This is the photo I posted along with this story :

Compelling Intro - First Five Words :

It’s key to embrace the wisdom of the “First 5 Words.” By this I mean that people will often only read the first 5 words of your post, before either choosing to read it, or continuing to scroll through the newsfeed. So if the hot topic is “Oprah’s Speech,” make sure you include those two words in the 1st five words :)

Paint the Story :

I recommend using vivid, descriptive, and specific details to “Paint the story” for readers, so they can :

1. Really feel like they are visualizing the story firsthand.

2. Feel emotionally engaged in the story.

The bottom line is that we are emotional creatures, and so if you can stir peoples emotions, then they will feel more of an impact and inspiration from your story. I never recommend telling false stories or over-exaggerating, but if you can vividly describe how you felt in various moments of the story, it will be much more compelling and memorable. I often CAPITALIZE specific words to stress their importance. Some may think this is OVER THE TOP!, but I think it is a helpful way to articulate passion through writing :)

Spacing :

I recommend spacing your story into several paragraphs, each ideally no longer than 6 lines, because it can be difficult to read if everything is jumbled together into one big paragraph. Its good to organize your ideas into distinct sections of the story that logically flow together. Sometimes I put a “…” at the end of a paragraph to build suspense to the next part of the story.

Beginning, Middle, and End + Call to Action :

Its helpful to draft out your story, and begin to section it out into a Beginning, Middle, and End as well as some sort of Call to Action, where you invite readers to channel the inspiration they received from your story into some kind of tangible action.

Beginning - Set the scene, describe at least some of the Who, What, Where, When, Why. Introduce whoever characters are involved in the story.

Middle - This is usually were the main action of the story takes place. Often there is a conflict and resolution, but that is not always the case. Sometimes its just describing the magic of the story, as in my story above about playing peace sticks and beatboxing with young boys and becoming friends instantly.

End - This is where you wrap up the story, so there is some sense of completion to the story arc.

Call to Action - I like to add my personal reflections after most stories I share. Some kind of lesson or teaching that I extracted through the story. Or perhaps questions that were sparked from the experience. I usually like to invite the reader to some sort of deeper pondering of the topic explored, or a call to action if there is an important issue to be addressed, such as ending food waste.

Compelling Image :

If your story relates to you, then its helpful to attach some sort of captivating photo either of you or something that conveys at least part of the story that you are telling. This will help the reader visualize it better, and also make it more memorable.

Don’t Forget to Have Fun :

Last but not least is to try and be playful, silly, and enjoy the process of sharing stories. It is an amazing way to transfer both INFORMATION and INSPIRATION from one being to another. And it is an honor to hone the craft of Storytelling to help transform this world in a positive direction :)

For more ideas, check out the Tips for Posting On Facebook Article