When you feel it, they feel it

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Hey friend!

Question:

When you write your stories, are you making people FEEL them, or are you just... listing what happened?

Over the past few months, I've been reading a TON of stories online.

Really good ones too. Vulnerable. Real. Authentic.

But their delivery falls flat.

All over the internet, people say "just be vulnerable and share your journey."

And look, I get it. Vulnerability matters.

But this mindset keeps founders stuck in what I call the "Reporter Trap":

"I shared my whole story about getting fired, but nobody commented."

"I was super vulnerable about my struggles, but it got 12 likes."

"I told my best moment, but I don't think anyone even remembers it."

Maybe you've experienced this yourself and started thinking storytelling doesn't work.

You tell yourself you're just not a natural storyteller, but that nagging feeling never really leaves.

(Like, why do THEIR stories hit and yours don't? What's the difference?)

The biggest lie in storytelling is that being vulnerable automatically makes your stories land.

I refused to accept that.

Because I've got plenty of vulnerable moments. Failed businesses. Terminations. Embarrassing mistakes.

But for the first 6 months, none of them converted to business.

When I started sharing stories online two years ago, I had one non-negotiable:

These stories would build my business, not just rack up engagement metrics that don't pay bills.

So I learned a technique from that storytelling masterclass that completely changed my approach.

How to shift from reporting to reliving with the 4-Part Delivery System (so your stories actually stick in people's heads):

1. Switch WHAT Tense You're Using

Your tense choice is basically a time machine.

You see:

At your level, the trap isn't writing bad stories. It's writing good stories in past tense that feel like they happened to someone else a long time ago.

To fix this, I do a simple Present Tense Shift in the peak moments:

• Find where the emotion peaks in your story (the part that mattered most)

• Switch from past to present tense ONLY in that section

• Ask yourself: Does "he said" or "he says" feel more immediate?

Example of what I mean:

Not: "He said he wasn't interested and looked at his phone."

But: "He says, 'I'm not interested.' Just like that. Doesn't even look up from his phone."

If it keeps readers at a distance, rewrite it in present tense so they're experiencing it NOW, not hearing about it later.

(This felt super weird the first time I did it, not gonna lie lol)

2. Show WHAT You Were Actually Thinking

Your internal thoughts aren't optional decoration.

They're the whole point.

Don't assume readers know what you were thinking just because you describe the situation.

That's a recipe for surface-level stories that don't hit.

To create depth, I expose my actual Internal Monologue with these prompts:

• "And I'm thinking..."

• "In my head I'm like..."

• "I'm sitting there calculating..."

Example:

Not: "I was nervous about the pitch."

But: "And I'm thinking, 'Shit. I should've prepared this better.' I can literally SEE him checking out as I stammer through my half-assed explanation."

If you don't show what's happening inside your head, readers only get half the story.

And honestly? The inside part is usually the interesting part.

Either way...

3. Add WHAT Your Body Was Actually Doing

You can't convey real emotion without the physical stuff.

The body language. The involuntary reactions.

For me, that's hands gripping tables way too hard. Legs bouncing under desks. Voice cracking mid-sentence.

(All the stuff you wish you could control but can't when you're stressed lol)

I ask myself these questions for every peak moment:

• What were my hands doing?

• Where was I looking?

• What involuntary reaction happened that I remember?

Example:

Not: "I was really stressed during the meeting."

But: "I'm gripping the edge of the table. My leg is bouncing. I can't make it stop even though I know everyone can probably see it."

The emotion lives in your body because physical details make feelings visible.

And visible = memorable.

4. Actually FEEL It Again While You're Writing

Look, this one's gonna sound weird.

But the best storytellers write with a specific approach:

Emotional access: They actually go back to the moment mentally before writing

Presence, not distance: They feel it again instead of just remembering it happened

Vulnerability: They let themselves experience the discomfort again

Honesty: They write what they actually felt, not what sounds good or professional

When you feel it while writing, readers feel it while reading.

You don't need to manufacture emotion or make stuff up.

You need to access the REAL emotion from when it actually happened.

Close your eyes. Go back there. Feel it.

Then write.

(I know this sounds like some woo-woo creative writing class nonsense, but I promise it works)

But here's a detail most founders skip…

And this is important.

You can have the best story structure in the world, the perfect character details, all the dialogue...

But if you're just reporting facts like you're filing a police report, you don't create impact.

Stories aren't information dumps.

They're experiences.

If yours are just information, your content will only connect at the level of data and logic.

And the truth is… all of that stuff is forgettable.

You have the same 24 hours to write as everyone else. Your stories are probably similar to other founders' stories.

Your struggles? I'm sure they're real and valid.

But a story that's RELIVED instead of reported becomes a weapon. Each detail outperforms boring facts, so you can actually build trust through your content instead of just... existing on LinkedIn.

You see:

Reporting = "Here's what happened to me."

Reliving = "Come experience this with me right now."

Big difference.

So, back to my question:

When you write your stories, are you making readers FEEL them?

Or just giving them the Cliff Notes version?

If you read until here, I'm guessing the answer is "just giving them the Cliff Notes."

(Which, honestly, is where I was for way too long lol)

That's exactly what this 2-week system is designed to fix.

Tomorrow, I'm revealing where to find unlimited stories hiding in your daily life so you literally never run out of material.

The daily capture system that changed everything for me.

Your turn:

Take the peak moment from your story.

The one you've been working on all week.

Rewrite it using these four shifts:

1. Present tense

2. Internal thoughts

3. Physical details

4. Actually feel it before writing

Till tomorrow...

Stephen

P.S. When I shifted my signature termination story from reporting to reliving, my close rate on discovery calls jumped from like 30% to 42%. Same story. Same facts. Different delivery. The emotional delivery is what actually builds trust with people.

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