The Perfect Story is Here!

Special thanks to Mushaboom Studio for their beautiful photography and brand work.

Mr. Touhey was my seventh-grade English teacher. He was the teacher everyone loved. He'd play records in the classroom, tell the history of rock and roll, and share the story behind songs like American Pie by Don McLean.

As a photographer, writer, and poet, he filled the walls with his photos and poetry. He’d play slide shows and have us discuss the meaning of the photos. We’d write poetry and read it in front of the room. His classroom was a sandbox of creativity, acceptance, and storytelling.

Every few weeks, he’d post a list of story titles on the blackboard. You had to choose one and turn it into a story. We’d start writing them in class and finish them as homework for the next day. I’d always have a hard time choosing a title, thinking of possibilities for so many of them. Once I settled on one, I’d begin creating these worlds of vivid detail and elaborate characters.

Or so I thought.

I never finished the stories in class and always had to finish them as homework. My mom would help me by proofreading and asking questions. She quickly saw the problem I didn’t. I had details and characters, but no story. She would ask me, “Where is your story going? What is the middle or end? What is this about? You need to have a plan.”

She was right, I’d set off writing my stories without any consideration of the plot or what it was about. It didn’t occur to me that I should plan my story or even use a basic structure when creating it. I’d spend hours working on it and have nothing to show for it.

I was a terrible storyteller.

I’d start with no destination in mind. My mom showed me that I had to learn to plan, put a structure in place, and then weave in the characters and details. I recognized that stories weren’t just a bunch of details that I loved. There needed to be a plot and an outcome that the audience could connect with.

The perfect story isn’t sitting around on a shelf waiting for you to pick it up. It already exists within you – as fragments of ideas, experiences, and colorful senses and emotions. Great storytellers aren’t born knowing what to do, they learn how just like I did. You just need the tools to shape your ideas into the perfect story, each time you tell one.

I wrote The Perfect Story to make storytelling accessible. I believe anyone can become a great storyteller and tell the perfect story for each occasion. You don’t have to wait for the perfect idea, situation, or invitation to tell stories. The only requirement is deciding to try. Stories create connections, open doors, and leave people changed.

The Perfect Story: How to Tell Stories That Inform, Influence, and Inspire is officially out today in hardcover, eBook, and audio formats. It's available everywhere books are sold.

I wrote this for you. Someone out there needs to hear your stories, the only thing missing is you haven’t told them yet.

Don’t wait for the perfect story. Take your stories and make them perfect.