Storytelling, simplified:

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Anybody else miss Anthony Bourdain? 

I’ve been rewatching Parts Unknown a lot. 

“How would you describe yourself?” the producer said behind camera. 

“I would describe myself as a lucky cook who tells stories,” said Bourdain. “And I think any other, uh…” he searched a moment, “I’m certainly not a journalist,” he said. “I’m not a chef anymore. I’d like to flatter myself by saying I’m an essayist. But I’m a storyteller: I see stuff. I talk about it...”

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I took out my phone to record his quote. 

“I talk about how it made me feel at that time,” he said. “If you can do that — honestly — that’s about the best you could hope for, I think.”

I love simple explanations for complicated things. 

And there are plenty of ways to complicate storytelling, yes: 

• The Hero’s Journey: Departure > Initiation > Return

• The 3-Act Structure: Setup > Confrontation > Resolution

• The 5-Act Structure: Exposition > Rising Action > Climax > Falling Action > Dénouement

Other formulas, too. All proven, all good. 

But there’s something refreshing (and comforting) about Bourdain’s boiled-down approach: 

See stuff > talk about how it made you feel > be honest. 

Simple.

And why not? Why the hell not?

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Hey there, thanks for reading. :)

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Enjoy!

Eddie Shleyner
VeryGoodCopy, founder

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