Story writing wisdom from the marketer

Seth Godin aims at the marketer when he writes, but his piece How to tell a Great Story has wisdom for every storyteller. Besides, if you look at it on a basic level, every writer is essentially 'marketing' his or her story to readers.

In his article, Seth says:

A great story is true. Not necessarily because it’s factual, but because it’s consistent and authentic.

Any story does need to ring true and make sense so that it resonates with the reader.

Seth says:

Talented marketers understand that allowing people to draw their own conclusions is far more effective than announcing the punch line.

When writing a story, most of the time you don't need to spell things out like a Hollywood movie. Explain things using metaphors or anecdotes, or use a character's mannerisms or body language to explain their reactions. Try alluding to the ending or finishing your story on a slightly cryptic note. This is also useful for leaving a seed in your reader's mind. This thought seed stays and the reader will continue to come back to the unsolved conundrum.

Seth says:

Great stories are rarely aimed at everyone ... If you need to water down your story to appeal to everyone, it will appeal to no one. The most effective stories match the world view of a tiny audience—and then that tiny audience spreads the story.

This is true. Don't aim mass market with your story. You can't and won't please everyone.Write something original and unique and it will resonate with someone.
Read the entire post here.