Why Storytelling?

Storytelling is the lifeblood of the human race. Sure, many have replaced books with movies or YouTube videos, but great stories transcend.

From ancient times, The Storyteller, was a guest of kings and paupers. He/She was the keeper of legacies, histories, and entertainment. Unlike the best selling "5 secrets to a better ...." or "10 things you need to know about...", type books, stories stick with you. I can't remember the 7 habits, but I remember Frodo beating all odds to get that ring to the volcano.

When you think about all the elements of your brand, story is among the most important parts. Once your brand story is simple and simply told, it informs the rest of your brand. It decides the fonts, colors, and styles you use.

Your brand story will be the the thing you use to get who you are into the mouths of your truest fans, so they can tell others who you are. Often without knowing they are telling your story.

Food for thought...

Here are some clips from great articles about using story telling in Brand Marketing:



FastCompany: Why our brains crave storytelling in marketing

When reading straight data, only the language parts of our brains work to decode the meaning. But when we read a story, not only do the language parts of our brains light up, but any other part of the brain that we would use if we were actually experiencing what we’re reading about becomes activated as well.

i-Scoop: Questions to ask yourself about your brand story

• What is the story and narrative behind everything you do as a brand, ranging from what you stand for to the reason why you developed solution X or decided to support ‘good cause Y’? 

• How can you get to that story that’s part of your brand and even people’s DNA instead of to just the facts? 

• How do you actually connect with people in the language they understand best: the language they can “visualize” in a story-like context?

• What types of stories appeal to your content marketing “personas”?

• What about the stories your customers and ‘audiences’ are already telling? How do you listen to those and include them? 

Entrepreneur.Com: Storytelling Could Bring Your Brand to Life and Strengthen Your Marketing Impact

A brand's story is no longer limited to or controlled by the media outlets and advertising that it uses. One would even say that this has been completely reversed: the media now runs stories based on how much traction they've gained elsewhere. Your customers and advocates are now the tastemakers, giving power to the stories that resonate with them.

Forbes: 5 Secrets to Use Storytelling for Brand Marketing Success

Honesty and transparency are important in brand storytelling. Yes, you’re crafting “stories,” but they need to be rooted in the reality of your brand, products, and industry. In other words, even brand stories must adhere to the three primary steps of brand-building: consistency, persistence, and restraint.

Darrell

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Topos Consulting Questionaire

If you think you'd like to have me help you tell your story, work on your website, or polish your personal or business brand, just email Me@DarrellWolfe.com and provide me the following:

Your Contact Information:

• Your Name 
• Your Position
• Brand Name
• Industry
• Address
• Telephone
• Email
• How did you hear about Topos Consulting?

The following are questions to consider. Don't worry if you don't have the answers yet, this is part of why you are using Topos Consulting. But these will get you thinking:

What is your story?

• What product or service do you provide?
• Why did you decide to pursue this business?
• What makes you special, unique, or qualified to do this?
• What is your favorite part of doing this work? 
• Why do you find it rewarding?
• What value do you provide?
• What impact has it had on the people you serve?

What are your brand elements?

• Colors (Do you have RBG, or Hexidecimal Codes?)
• Fonts (Georgia, Times New Roman, Etc)
• Logos (or images)
• Do you have digital copies for any of these?

eTools: Do you already have any of the following?

• Website
• Domain Name
• Facebook Account (personal not business)
• Facebook Page (business not personal)
• Email List Service
• Google Place Listing

eTools: Do you already have user ID's for any of the following?

• Wordpress.Com or Blogger
• Domain.com
• Facebook
• Google Place
• MailChimp
• Gumroad or another way to store and deliver the PDF?

Darrell

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Book Review: Name of the Wind

So a while back, I was walking through Auntie's Bookstore, in Spokane, WA. I've read pretty much everything ever written by Ted Dekker, Bill Myers, CS Lewis, JRR Tolkien, and many others.

I told her I like the Fantasy & Science Fiction genres, and I was looking for a new author.

"I have just the one," she said. "Follow me." She came out from behind the counter and we meandered up and down a few aisles. "Here it is," She turned and handed me this book:

The Name of the Wind, by Patrick Rothfuss (Affiliate Link)

"Hm. I've never heard of him," I replied.

"He's Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and Chronicles of Narnia all wrapped up into one amazing story," she was quite excited. "You'll love it!"

The woman handed me a few others to consider and then went about her duties. I took pictures but didn't have any money to spend that day.

Later, because I'd mentioned it, my boss bought it for my birthday.

I just finished all 713 pages, and I am AMAZED!

This might just be our generations, JRR Tolkien. Granted, no-one has produced a Lord of the Rings level epic, because no-one would undertake the layer upon layer approach he used to write it. However, this novel gives me all of the things I've wanted.

Without ruining too much, the story takes place in a Tolkien-like world. Horses, Swords, Mule Pulled Carts, Smith's, and Strawberry Wine blanket our landscape. The industrial age has not taken place yet. Also, this is not earth. The landscape is different, but it's still Earth-like.

The story starts out with a mysterious bartender, who's obviously more than he seems. Eventually, we are wrapped up in his own telling of his childhood and the events that led to his meteoric rise to fame; and hints at his fall. This being a trilogy, the story he tells to his listeners in the bar takes place over all three novels.

Dragons, Magic, Science, Myths Revealed as Science Misunderstood, it's everything I wanted to read since I last put down the worlds of Narnia, Hogwarts, and Middle Earth.

If you liked those, you'll love this book!

Darrell G. Wolfe

Storyteller | Writer | Thinker | Consultant | Multipotentialite

The Name of the Wind, by Patrick Rothfuss (Affiliate Link)

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Focus... Unfocused

There's a version of my writing that is organized, thoughtful, researched, helpful, even inspired at times... And then there's the other stuff.

The other stuff is wild, incoherent, off the cuff, straight from my mind to your eyes, unfiltered, unedited.

I've tried to separate these into different sites, combined them again, separated them again.... *sigh*

I have too many thoughts, too many opinions, I know too much to ever make any of it make coherent sense on one website.

So, here's my newest attempt to make it work... My blog, the one under my name, DarrellWolfe.com, it's for my randomness. This is where I'll post whatever I want, whatever thinking about, randomness.

I'll link out to posts at my other sites, be they few or many, and you can find the organized stuff there.

Let's see if that helps me keep some semblance of order.

Darrell Wolfe Version 1,037

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Topos Consulting

Hey, my name is Darrell Wolfe, and this is Topos Consulting.

I help individuals with passion strengthen their strategic position of opportunity and influence, so they can make a positive impact on their world.

Disclosure: I am a jack of all trades, matter of none. I am a wealth of random information.

I'm not a:
Tax Advisor
Investment Advisor
Legal Advisor
Etc....

The information here is meant to be informative, educational, and just passing along the lessons I've learned as I worked in various fields over many years.

I am a guy who's been around the block, seen and heard a lot, and knows a lot about a lot. Consider me a teacher of the things I know, but implement them at your own level of understanding and risk.

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Order. Chaos. In Between... The Bible

The Dark Ages were primarily due to religion. 

Religious leaders had the audacity to claim that only they could interpret the Word of God for the simple-minded laymen. Even clergy of lower stature couldn't read the bible. This led to the strange fantasies, whimsies, and odd ideas of any number of so-called "Priests". 

Enter Martin Luther, circa 1517 A.D. He had the outrageous claim that all men were saved by Faith, and not deeds required of them by Religious Leaders. How did he get this idea? Reading the bible for himself.

The Reformation directly caused the Enlightenment.

When men were allowed to read the Bible for themselves, instead of being told what to believe by so-called leaders, they found a God of order. Therefore, the Earth created by this God would have order.

This thought led to Newtonian Physics, printed books, engines, light bulbs, Einstein's theory of relativity...

All science, medical advancements, everything you drive, see, eat...

The next time you see a car or bus, or think that you have the "right" to speak your mind without fear of being burned at the stake... You can thank the B I B L E... 

In short without men reading God's word for themselves, you'd be packing your mule cart to head to the nearest township,  paying your tax to the king, and hoping to live to 40. 

And yet, we see a world of people tearing down statues because they think they are being oppressed when really they are causing a new Dark Age. ANY TIME the bible is suppressed, men do dark deeds and put each other in bondage.

You need not want to read it yourself, but you should fight to the death for the right of others to do so, publicly. Without the Bible, you are headed to a dark age again. Freedom of Thought, Freedom of Religion, is only possible with that book openly discussed, read, and followed by teachers, lawyers, and politicians. Without it, we are in for a world of hurt.

Darrell G. Wolfe

Storyteller | Writer | Thinker | Consultant | Multipotentialite

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What if....

The year is 2236.... The USSR won the cold war. They assassinated Reagan, nuked DC and New York. The government since fell, but the multiple re-incarnations of those same ideals blended with leftists in the USA have way to a one world government, blended communism/democracy.

The head of the one world government is Nikoli Peterson. He telecasts his meetings with the elected officials. However, they are just hired actors. There is no real democracy, just the appearance of it.

The people are "taken care of", sort of. They get ok food, assigned housing, assigned jobs, assigned spouses. If they attempt any real independent thinking they are dealt with.

It is against the law to think for yourself, Post anything the government is against, or have your own thoughts.

The only country not ruled by this government is the land of Australia. Freedom thinkers all emigrated there during the purge. It's impossible for any force to make it through their defenses.

Periodically, a Freeman infiltrates the Mainland. Not for resources, as Freeland has a surplus while Mainland has shortages... But for reconisance. Mainlanders are incapable of infiltration into Freeland Because they cannot duplicate FreeSpeak. They've been programmed to be unable to think.

They first tried to train people, but anyone who can think becomes a Freelander. No thinking person can stay socialist. So they gave up, and locked down.

In Freeland:

There is virtually no crime, due to the small but lethal government. There is only, ever, one national law. "Cause no harm to person or property, and do as you please." Thanks to the lack of any FDA, USDA, or any other government interference, food and stuff is plentiful.

Abortion is illegal, as it causes harm to person. But the free market ensures cheap and easily accessible prevention to anyone that wants it.

There are only three punishments available. Death, long term service, short term service. All inmates must produce their own food and clothing. Nothing is provided for them.

What about corporate greed? There are very few large companies. Innovation is so fast that smaller companies make the most money. But the CEO is directly responsible for any cooperate action. Punishments always equal the crime. If any CEO allows a product into the market that causes harm or death, that CEO ends up in one of two places. If they knew, death. If they didn't know, a minimum of 20 years internment.

There is no parole policy. Anyone escaping prison starts over from day one, plus five.

Very few CEO's would risk anything to let harm come to a customer. They bend over backwards, at their cost, to ensure products are safe.

In Mainland:
Only Alexi Washington, the Prime Minister's nephew, can make things right...

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