Let the Story Do the Work

CHAPTER 3

LOOK WHO’S LISTENING

THIS CHAPTER IS ABOUT point of view—specifically, how to understand and harness your audience’s point of view to tell more powerful stories. The best way to illustrate the concept of point of view is, not surprisingly, with a story. Below you’ll read one you may have heard before, but probably not in the same way you’ll hear it this time.

THE TRUE STORY OF THE THREE LITTLE PIGS

Surely you’ve heard the classic story “The Three Little Pigs”—the tale of three sibling pigs who built houses of straw, sticks, and bricks. Recall that a big bad wolf came along, blew down the houses of straw and sticks, and ate up two of the three pigs. Only the brick-house–owning pig escaped, thanks to the sturdiness of his home.

But what ...