“Hook us in. Make us care about you. Paint the scene. Clearly state your fears, desires, the dilemma. Make us invested in the outcome. Introduce the conflict. Make us worried for you. Impress us with observations that are uniquely yours. Rope us into the moment when it all goes down. Conclude as a different person. Triumphant? Defeated? Befuddled? Enlightened? CHANGED.” — The Moth

IMPORTANT TIPS—

*Be relatable and vulnerable (Highlighting your successes can be inspiring, but it’s important to remember people often relate more to the messy, to the screw ups, to the feelings of doubt. Don’t shy away from the more relatable aspects of your brand/business story)

*Include SPECIFIC details (Draw on the five senses— what did you taste, touch, feel, hear, see?)

*Don’t just describe what happened— describe what was happening internally (How did your thoughts, beliefs, attitudes, etc. shift? How did it make you feel?)

*The submission itself can be creative— we accept poetry, paintings and other forms of artistic expression

*Remember: If it’s boring to write, it’s boring to read

We highly suggest you read some examples of good storytelling below before writing your submission:

*The Boy in the Pink Tuxedo, by Kevin Broccoli

*Pilgrams, by Elizabeth Gilbert

*Flour and Fire, by Charlene Boyce

OR, LISTEN to short stories from this library

*It’s about quality, not length. Read this 100 word story as an example:

She Chose Another Road

I have a drawer full of magic. Serums, powders, creams, all promising to reverse time. Every day it takes me a bit longer to look how I think I should. My daughter, now 14, says she has no interest in “patriarchal standards of beauty.” I am at once glad and worried: glad she won’t be joining me on this Sisyphean road but worried she may be judged for her choice. I am also optimistic; perhaps someday I can walk away from my regimen. Until then, I am proud of my daughter for her confidence in opting out of my wishful thinking. — Jenny Fan Raj, Modern Love, NY Times

PROMPT IDEAS:

*What was a/the pivotal moment in your life that led you to pursue an entrepreneurial path? Get specific. What happened and what was the internal dialogue you had before making this decision (delve into the specific fears, excitements and doubts you experienced)?

*Tell the story of your WORST DAY EVER as an entrepreneur— tap into your humorous side and don’t shy away from the bad and the ugly

 *Why do you care about solving the problem your business is solving? How does it relate to your own life experiences?

 *What was a moment your business failed miserably, and how did you bounce back from that failure?

 *Tell the story of an individual life that your business has touched or impacted in some way (ie: employee, customer, etc.) Please only submit if you have that individual’s consent to tell their story.

 *If you had to give the ‘you’ of 5 – 10 years ago advice, what advice would you give yourself?

*Describe a single moment in time where you felt proud of what you’ve accomplished through your business—go into details about what happened and why it made you feel the way that it did

 *How are you different now (shifts in attitudes, perspectives, beliefs) then when you first started your business?

 *What was the WORST or BEST piece of advice you ever received? Did you follow it? If so, what happened?

What we don’t accept—

*Writing pieces that are merely descriptions of what your business does

*Writing pieces that describe only what happened to you but not how it impacted your life, your business choices, how it made you feel, or what you learned

*Writing pieces that are vague, and don’t include any specific details about relevant events, feelings or conflicts

Please either use the online form to submit your piece, or email an attachment with your submission to leedr.calgary@gmail.com.

There is no minimum or maximum word count required, we are looking for pieces of all different lengths— it’s the quality, not the quantity of the writing that counts.