"You're A Stranger, So You're Perfect"

Stories With Heart – a fortnightly corralling of the best storytelling insights, for people and organisations aiming to win hearts and minds by telling better, richer stories.

Hello, story lovers, Sam Lightfinch here. Welcome to Stories With Heart. As a brand strategist and storyteller, I create narratives that resonate with people and drive organisational success.

Are you poochy pamperers ready to wash, cut and blow dry the muddy undercoat of story? Me too. Grab the muzzle and treats, and let’s get rinsing.

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🏆 Story of the week 🏆

EUSEXUA | FKA Twigs

FKA twigs has built an immersive world around EUSEXUA, a term she coined to describe euphoric transcendence. It’s a belter of a record, drawing from rave culture to evoke themes of joy and liberation.

But it’s twigs’ world-building that I love. As an artist, it feels like she goes through a metamorphosis with each record, then welcomes us into the new realm with every considered gig, video and written piece. More than just an album, EUSEXUA is an experiential journey into an altered state. TL;DR it’s storytelling molly.

Takeaway: twigs shows that storytelling isn’t just about words – it’s about making audiences feel like they’re stepping into a new reality.

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Book of the week

Monsters | Claire Dederer | Sceptre

“You’ll regret it.” My Nan said that to me when I got my first tattoo. Fast forward 15-ish years and 20-ish designs, and I do have a dilemma. I’ve got three tattoos that represent the art of bad men.

[Enter Monsters stage left] This book is one of those stays with you books. In it, Dederer explores the tension between notorious (and overwhelmingly male) artists’ celebrated creations and their personal transgressions. It’s a fine example of how stories never exist in a vacuum, and how actually every piece of art is wrapped up in layers and layers of story. Like a horrible pass the parcel.

It’s been a while since I’ve read such a compelling and reflective book… but it loses a star for not saying definitively if I should or shouldn’t scrub off the offending tattoos with wire wool. 4/5 stars. I’m off to flip a coin.

Takeaway: I’d like to hope organisations wouldn’t work with monsters (haha), but it does raise an interesting thought around messengers – stories are never headless… so think about who speaks for your organisation, and how that lands with an audience.

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Documentary of the week

Alfie The Odd Job Boy | Aaron Dunleavy

I can’t believe I’ve not shared this before. It’s fantastic. And you know what? It’s been a while since I’ve done a list. Let’s have a list.

Story lessons from Dunleavy:

1. We all love an underdog. Struggle and perseverance create investment.

2. Community is a character. Relationships enrich a narrative and give it depth.

3. Real stakes are powerful. Tension ratchets up storytelling.

4. People over perfection. Audiences connect with authenticity over the predictable and polished.

Takeaway: Alfie’s story proves that even the most everyday journeys can become compelling narratives when told with honesty and care.

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Cheat sheet of the week

PERSONIFICATION. ALLUSION. HYPERBOLE. | Shlomo Genchin

“Anyone could do your job.” I get that sometimes. Especially from people who couldn’t. But then I saw this cheat sheet via Vikki Ross, and maybe times are a’changing. I’ll wake up tomorrow and their will be scores of tagline-slinging hot shots, all wrangling words together.

Genchin went through 300+ business taglines and deduced that they use just 24 rhetorical devices. So he listed them out, with examples, into a handy PDF. Now writing your copy can be like breaking horses.

Takeaway: Copywriting is SO EASY anyone can do it. (see #3)

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My story of the week

A Lesson From Feature Films

Writers talk about writing a lot. But editing gets less time in the spotlight. It’s Robin. Writing’s Batman.

I saw this image on LinkedIn via Vashi Nedomansky and it got me thinking about economy in storytelling.

What’s my shooting ratio? How much of my work makes it out into the world, and how much – like a male chick – gets blended before it has chance to suck in a few minutes of air?

My shooting ratio is getting smaller. As a junior, I wrote a lot because the passion was there. But I lacked wider vision. I cared only about the beauty of what was unfolding in front of me, rather than how it would piece together for the final, wider narrative at an organisational level.

Now, I spend time with business leaders. I’m involved in more conversations, get the chance to ask more questions, and think more widely about the impact and influence of my stories. And so I have a much sharper idea going into them of what the outcome needs to look like.

Takeaway: What’s your balance between raw story, and the final thing? What’s the ratio that works for you?

THE END(ISH)

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Hopefully, you’re here for the written word, and not The Written Word.

If it’s the former, I’d appreciate it if you A) share this newsletter with someone who might like it, or B) check out my website.

If it’s the latter, then get yourself checked into a hotel. I reckon some of them still have religious texts in the night stand.

Love, Sam ❤️