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HOPING TO GROW YOUR AUDIENCE? FOCUS ON NARRATIVES

By: Dan blank

If you are a writer or creative professional, narratives matter when you consider developing an audience. For many people: narratives are how we define ourselves, it is how we filter the world, it is how we search for meaning. Narratives are the stories we tell ourselves. Two key aspects to consider:

1. Narratives define the world in ways we are comfortable with, or that we desire. Note: these are not always the same thing. Some people experience the world with the narrative that “people are trying to rip me off.” Therefore, every experience is filtered through this narrative, and they are immediately skeptical when shopping or negotiating. And this can lead to some less than ideal circumstances: a mechanic telling that person that their tires are completely bald and that we are heading into icy-road season. The person with the narrative of “everyone is trying to rip me off,” may make the decision that this mechanic just wants money and he won’t have his tires changed, potentially risking the safety of himself, anyone driving in his car, and anyone driving on the road near him. And the interesting thing about the power of his narrative is that he will feel GREAT about the decision to not get his tires. To him, his keen awareness allowed him to not get ripped off like some other sucker. 

2. Narratives are signals that someone is “like you,” someone you may want to talk to. Consider if you are in a foreign city and meet a random stranger at a cafe who happens to be a huge fan of your favorite sports team. Boom, instant conversation.

How can you use narratives to engage others in meaningful ways? Some ideas:

To read the rest of the post, click here.

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If you missed my writing & marketing tweets and retweets yesterday, here they are again:

1. Hoping to Grow Your Audience? Focus on Narratives: http://t.co/eRiESHGT3C @DanBlank RT @elizabethscraig:
2. 9 Simple and Powerful Ways to Get More Retweets on Twitter: Report - Jeffbullas's Blog http://ow.ly/rHeFy
3. 3 Ways Responsive Design Can Benefit Your Blog | Social Media Examiner http://ow.ly/rHgK4
4. Here's How Elizabeth Gilbert (Bestselling Author of Eat, Pray, Love) Writes - Copyblogger http://ow.ly/rHhrS
5. Writer Unboxed » Forget theme! Instead ask, “And so, what’s my point?” http://ow.ly/rHhJW
6. How to Embed Facebook Posts on Your Website or Blog | Digital K Blog http://ow.ly/rHhRA
7. Susan Kaye Quinn, Speculative Fiction Author: Brainstorming a Book http://ow.ly/rHhYf
8. [New Data] Tweets Between 100 and 115 Characters are More Likely to be ReTweeted | Dan Zarrella http://ow.ly/rHi6M
9. Blog Guidebook: How To Make Headers For Your Blogger Blog - Using PicMonkey http://ow.ly/rHiqM
10. Using Hashtags in Social Media | Bek Davis Web & Graphic Design http://ow.ly/rHiHp
11. 10 Surprising New Twitter Stats to Help You Reach More Followers - The Buffer Blog http://ow.ly/rHiXL
12. The Bookshelf Muse: Let the Characters Tell the Story http://ow.ly/rHjgE
13. Tips for Writers for Creating Images & Resizing Photos: http://t.co/0FMSvmdtdz  @maggielyons66 RT @elizabethscraig:
14. Signs You've Chosen the Wrong Protagonist - Helping Writers Become Authors http://ow.ly/rIGoT
15. 30 Mind Numbing YouTube Facts,Figures and Statistics - Infographic http://ow.ly/rIGAU
16. The Write Conversation : During This Season of Giving—Give Yourself the Gift of Time to Write http://ow.ly/rIGQf
17. BookMarketingBuzzBlog: What’s In Your Book Marketing Tool Kit? http://ow.ly/rIGXm
18. Three Easy Ways To Add Tweets To Your Blog Posts http://ow.ly/rIH1v
19. A Writer's Journey: Getting the Sequence Right http://ow.ly/rILeVWhy I Turned Down a Three-Book New York Print Deal to Self-Publish | The Passive Voice | http://ow.ly/rILi0  

Happy writing & running, Kathy