Answers · By Sun Yi, creator of the Myth Sandwich
How do I find a specific moment in my story?
Short answerFind the exact moment, not a summary. Sun says to ask: what, when, where, and who. That pins the story to a real, specific moment.
Start Here
- Begin every story with the time of day and location to anchor yourself in a real moment.
- A five-second moment is a slice of your life, not a summary of what happened.
Find the Moment
- Look for the moment when something unexpected happened and you thought, 'Huh, that's interesting.'
- If there's no big dramatic moment, look for a pattern of repeated behaviors in your old life vs. your new life.
In Sun's words
A lot of people I work with are trying to find that one dramatic rock-bottom moment. The clouds parting. The instant everything changed. But most of us don't have that, and when we force it, the story feels fake. I heard Dax Shepard talk about how his rock bottom wasn't really rock bottom. It was just the moment he had enough and decided to turn around. He could have gone lower. So what I do now with clients is simpler. I ask: what did your old life look like? What does your new life look like? Give me a few example moments from each. Then we tell it that way. The progression is more honest and more powerful than a manufactured turning point.
▶ Watch Sun explain thisTry itOpen a story in Story Bank, write the time of day and location at the top, then write the one moment you remember most clearly.
This answer comes from Sun Yi's Story Bank Library.
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