Blogs and video blogs: great advice from Ira Glass
Posted by Catie Foertsch on Wed, Aug 05, 2009 @ 10:56 AM
Here's a video from Ira Glass (creator of NPR's addictively interesting 'This American Life') about the basics of storytelling for TV and radio. It's also very applicable to blogging, podcasting and video blogging. The video a bit long, but stick with it - it's got great info.
If you blog, or create video blogs or podcasts, you know that all entries need a structure. One sure-fire structure is the anecdote - a brief story of something that happened, followed by the moment of reflection. (For example, I had a phone conversation with a nonprofit that led to this blog entry, which generated some interesting traffic...)
Glass maintains that 'one huge problem' with using this structure happens when you have a great story but it means nothing. The companion problem, he says, is when you have great meaning but a boring anecdote.
While this may be true for radio & TV, I'd argue that it's slightly different for blogs, vlogs & podcasts. Yes, if you have a great story but no meaning, you're in serious trouble. But I don't think the reverse is true. If you have a boring anecdote but great meaning, summarize the story and get to the meaning quickly, and it can work.
What about you? Do you have any examples of a thin anecdote that led to a great blog entry?