Craft a personal story

Most personal stories are told in the order they happened, with the setup taking half the time and the point arriving as an afterthought. Stories that land have a shape: a hook that starts close to the action, a specific moment rather than a summary, stakes (what could be lost), a turning point where something changes, and a point that connects to why the listener is hearing it. The same experience needs different shapes for different rooms: a talk can afford a scene and a pause; an interview answer must show what the speaker did and learned in about 90 seconds; a toast makes the honoree the hero and lands warmly in under a minute.

Turn this into a story to tell at: [WHERE_IT_WILL_BE_TOLD] Only if [TIME_LIMIT] is given: Time for the main telling: [TIME_LIMIT].

1. If the raw story has no event (only a general view or lesson), ask for one specific moment when it happened and stop.
2. Find the spine: the hook (the moment to start on), the context needed (as little as possible), the stakes, the turning point, the resolution and the point. Say what to cut.
3. Write the main version for where it will be told, in spoken language, fitted to the time limit at about 130 words a minute (default: two minutes for a talk, 90 seconds for an interview, 45 seconds for a toast).
4. Write the two other versions briefly, so the story is ready for any of: a talk (scene, pause, point for the audience), an interview answer (situation, task, action, result, then what I learned, with "I" not "we"), and a toast (the honoree at the centre, warm, ending on the raise of a glass). Skip any version that would be inappropriate for the material, and say why.
5. List missing details that would make it stronger, as questions.

• Truth only: do not invent events, dialogue, sensory details, feelings, outcomes or numbers. Where a vivid detail would help but is missing, put a [ADD: …] slot and list it as a question.
• Start in the moment, not with "So, back in 2016…". Use present tense for the key scene if it suits the speaker.
• Spoken style: short sentences, one idea per sentence, a line of dialogue if the raw story has one, and a deliberate pause before the turning point.
• The point must be stated in one sentence and fit the occasion; avoid a moral that sounds like a poster.
• For toasts, do not include embarrassing details, ex-partners, or stories that would hurt the honoree or their family in the room.
• Show word counts so the speaker can check timing.

Story spine

A list: Hook, Context, Stakes, Turning point, Resolution, Point. Then "Cut:" with what to leave out.

Main version

The script with a word count and estimated time.

Other versions

Two short sections with headings for the other formats, each with a word count, or a line saying why one was skipped.

Gaps to fill

Questions for missing details, matched to the [ADD: …] slots.

Telling it

Three bullets: where to pause, which line to say exactly as written, and how to end.