The Anatomy of Story: 22 Steps to Becoming a Master Storyteller

by John Truby

Good storytelling lets the audience relive events in the present so they can understand the forces, choices, and emotions that led the character to do what he did.

Withholding, or hiding, information is crucial to the storyteller’s make-believe. It forces the audience to figure out who the character is and what he is doing and so draws the audience into the story. When the audience no longer has to figure out the story, it ceases being an audience, and the story stops.