In this post, I’m going to give you three elements of storytelling that are my target, how I use them, why I use them, and why they work.
So if you’re looking for that magical quality that separates compelling story from the alternative, we’ll get to it.
And I’ll even give you some examples.
Buckle up.
Sit With It And Think.
There are three elements to storytelling that I simultaneously:
Cannot avoid.
Try not to avoid.
Have a look at the title of this substack post again (you should remember it, you senile idiot, but in case you need the refresher):
“Shut Up And Speak - Stop being a little bitch. Tell stories.”
Whether you’re writing the first line of a story, a substack post title, a video title for YouTube, or quite literally anything, the method by which you communicate needs to … well … communicate.
And not just for the sake of communicating. If you’re talking for the sake of filling up the airwaves with vibrations from your vacuous noggin, you aren’t a communicator, you’re the person I avoid. Always.
In the title of this post I use 11 words to communicate, and you can immediately discern a great deal of information about me from how they are arranged and presented. First, broadly, I’m letting my opinion be known. That comes from confidence. Second, I enjoy absurdity. “Shut up and speak” is a paradox. An oxymoron, I suppose. The statement itself is a rhetorical device used to provoke thought. Third, “stop being a little bitch” is a clear challenge, and people do generally find me to be the type of person that says challenging things in order to shake someone awake. Lastly, “tell stories” is not a suggestion. It’s a demand. Rather, a call-to-arms to all of you out there who are questioning and doubting yourselves. This signals that I care about stories being told, and I want you to tell them.
I’m confident in what I say.
I’m not shy about sharing an opinion.
I’m an absurdist.
I try to provoke thought.
I challenge others.
I care about good story.
I try to motivate others.
All of this information gleaned from 11 words.
Imagine what the other 2,055 words can teach you.
This is because of three basic principles of storytelling that I always have my mind and my eye on. I’m not talking college-level three-act-structure rants, I’m talking about boiling things down to a very simple roadmap for, well, everything I do. It has become so core to who I am that I do it subconsciously at this point.
Three Storytelling Traits.
Before I move forward, I want to let you know how much I despise dishing out writing advice.
This is not writing advice.
It’s storytelling-advice-adjacent.
This is what works for me. It may not for you. You may be the type of person who’s greatest interest is a deep-dive into chapstick flavors. And if that’s you, I applaud you, and I also would like to avoid you if we’re at a party together.
That disclaimer being shared, we can move forward. I posit that you are this device:
And as this device (metaphorically speaking), you have three inherent traits that roll into how, who, and what you communicate.
#1: Lens
Everything I communicate is through a specific lens of who I am, what I’ve experienced, and how I see the world. All of the events that have shaped me (up to and including Charlie Kirk’s assassination, even), impact me in some way, just as all of yours have as well. Those “core memories” form you, and more importantly they are the camera with which you look through to see the world.
Make sure your lens is being used when you are storytelling. Embrace that camera. Be proud of it. Let it show people your world, your thoughts, and your ideas — from your lens.
#2: Emotional Connection
This is the deeper layer. The inner workings of that storytelling machine that is you. Emotional connection comes from what you are capturing. Is it topically something that is resonant, or is it chapstick flavors?
I could write posts going on and on about my love of absurd-looking chicken decor, but that would be a stupid thing that most people wouldn’t be interested in. There’s no emotional connection there. It’s my version of chapstick, it’s just that unlike some of you, I have the wherewithal not to talk about it in public, and the intelligence to know that if I did, you’d slowly back away.
Wait … am I?
Fuck. I’m talking about the chickens. Anyway …
My point here is that wrapped into the topic of what I’m storytelling is emotion. Very basic, very critical human emotion. We all experience love, loss, learning, pain, grief, joy and confusion. So in everything I do, I try to roll in those very basic, fundamental human emotions.
That’s how I get what I say to resonate with you, even if you disagree, don’t like the genre, or don’t like the story.
#3: Authenticity
I’m going to state something here that might surprise you.
I don’t give a fuck what you think.
It doesn’t matter to me at all. Your opinion of me does not shape what I speak or what I do. When I am storytelling I am not doing so with the audience in mind.
Instead, I create, I share, and the people that enjoy it become my tribe. Likewise, when others create and share, I gravitate toward that resonance because I can see all three things - I see your lens, I see your emotion, I see your authenticity. I appreciate it because that’s what makes art and that art speaks to me on a level I cannot describe.
Even if I dislike your creation, I respect all of those things because that is what makes you … you.
It’s those who try to be fake that I can’t stand. It’s those who don’t have a grasp on emotion, try to trick me with pretending to be authentic, or attempting to use someone else’s lens to tell the story that makes it out to feel, ugh what’s the word?
Plastic.
Meet My Friend, Grimfel
First of all, he’s brilliant. So follow him on X. Then follow him on YouTube. Spotify, too.
I met this dude last year, via some connections in the writing community, and had the great fortune to interview him on stream, get to know him, and keep in touch.
He is an excellent case study in Lens, Emotion, and Authenticity:
People interest me, and Grimfel interested me for three reasons:
Lens. I got to experience his view of the world through his lens. Through following his music, his writing, his personal opinion, and putting it all together.
Emotion. If you’re listening for what other people are saying through their art, this one is easy. He shows it. If you are paying attention …
Authenticity. This is where it all comes together. I saw an appreciation for creation in this dude that matches my own. That resonance matters a great deal to me.
When I interviewed him on MIRTH QUAKE way back when, there was a small moment afterward that really meant a lot to me and spoke to my intuition. It was a reply to a post I made about the interview, where his lady simply thanked me for being kind to him.
I still think about it. Because that says so much about someone as a person, what they’ve been through, what they’ve experienced, and who they surround themselves with. And also, he’s not the type to shove his work in your face, beg for support, constantly stuff it in front of you, etc.
Not to say this is an issue in the writing community, but some of ya’ll are irritating as shit with your incessant self-promo.
If anything, Grimfel falls short here, but I get it, and that’s why I want to highlight him (sorry buddy, it’ll be over soon, I promise).
It makes my point.
As I started to get into expanding my creation into AI art, music, and more, I asked him for advice, asked him for direction, and generally celebrated some creation with him as well as trashing the gatekeeping mentality so prevalent out there. The whole time I’m fucking up and growing and figuring it out (and still am), he was there cheering me on.
All this to say, as an artist of any stripe - be it music, visual, beat poetry, or interpretive dance (please don’t do that), those three elements of your storytelling can say everything about you, and that’s the difference between the artists who (in my humble opinion) attract a tribe, and those who struggle to do so. His latest music video is incredible, and a great example of how I can “see” him through what he creates.
All this to say that I appreciate this man a great deal, because not only is his work inspiring, but he’s a genuinely great dude who’s been a huge inspiration for me as I expand creatively. Mad respect, bro, you’re a shining example of authentic storytelling and I hope you gain all of the success you deserve.
See? That wasn’t so bad. ;-)
Applying This To My Own Art
And this brings me to my latest project, AbSynth Samurai.
Remember kids: Lens, Emotion, Authenticity
AbSynth Samurai is about a balls-tripping Samurai DJ who beheads anyone who refuses to dance while he’s spinning records and letting the beat drop. Eventually having his “Devil Went Down To Georgia” Robert-Johnson-Crossroads moment where he must defeat the devil himself in a DJ battle in the pits of hell.
Look, whatever, okay? This is my brain. Stick with me because I am about to show you the Lens, the Emotion, and the Authenticity once again.
AbSynth Samurai is what you get when you take the following ingredients, throw them in a crock pot, and let it cook:
Dubstep
‘70s Funk
Electro-swing
Trip-Hop
Psychedelics
Violence
Comedy
Badassery
Confidence
A treatise on gatekeepers, a personal manifesto about the need for independent creation, a take-down of common culture’s reliance on fame, fortune, and vanity, a layered (and gruesomely hysterical) commentary on the corruption of youth by means of stealing joy, a refusal to be boxed in, and straight-up wartime hostility toward censoring yourself and what you create.
That last ingredient was kind of long, I just wanted to stick to 10 is all.
As a concept album on a surface level, yes, AbSynth Samurai follows a literal green-fairy-addicted psychopath murdering people on the dance floor if they stop moving to his beats for a split second.
On a deeper level, it’s commentary on independence, creation, not taking “no” for an answer, and removing the noise of naysayers and doubters.
On the deepest level, AbSynth Samurai …
… is me.
My personal views on gatekeeping, on independent creation, on taking chances, on embracing myself without fear or apology, and my love of expression are woven throughout the lyrics.
#1 Lens: My view of the world, particularly the creation world, is very plain to see as a thread through the entire album.
#2 Emotion: In most cases this is in the form of disdain for doubters, gatekeepers, and naysayers. It’s about picking yourself up, having confidence, even a little bravado because you know you are honoring your creations without a care for anyone’s approval.
#3 Authenticity: I already spoiled this one. AbSynth Samurai is a reflection of me, just as Alyte is on Undone.
Playing You Out
I’m going to share my latest music video for one of the songs on AbSynth Samurai, “Ego Death” (featuring Alyte). This song captures that ceremonial last step the Samurai takes before facing off against the devil himself, a wild trip into his mind (assisted by the green fairy, of course) to center himself, silence all of the self-doubt, and know that regardless, he is and always will be victorious.
I hope you enjoy it. If you have a moment, I’d appreciate a Spotify Follow, AbSynth Samurai will be dropping in full in the next couple of weeks.
Until then, keep creating, keep communicating exactly who you are, and may you find your tribe, my friend.
*drops everything to write a horror story about strange chicken statues coming to life at night*
That chicken (#3) is going to live in my nightmares for years to come. This Musical side of you is so very fascinating to me (being an amateur musicologist myself), and may even inspire me to do some of my own (maybe a blues album with my blues stage name Blind Lemon Jello?). As always man, you inspire, and you make me think, dream, and want to create! Keep goin'!