With the rise of Social and Visual Media, Storytelling is increasingly becoming a very important skill for marketers. Some might argue that there’s nothing new in the statement, marketers (and advertisers) have always been storytellers. But the key difference is that, these days, almost all of us have to be one, is one wishes to stand out. This is especially true when it comes to developing one’s personal brand. “What’s your story?” will increasingly be the question that people ask if they want to know more about someone, even in a professional context.

It’s in this context that I wish to share an article that I came across recently. It’s an old one, published in ‘The New Yorker’ in 2003. In it, reputed author, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, recounts the episodes that led to the publication of his first story in one of Colombia’s leading literary publications.

It is, admittedly a translation. With due credits to the translator, Edith Grossman, what stood out for me in the article was the extremely personal style of story telling that Mr. Marquez employs to narrate this extremely important phase of his life. The reader is easily transported into the era that Mr. Marquez is talking about and is casually consumed into his affairs. There is a beautiful rhythm to the story and it’s not too difficult at all to visualise the episodes that the author is narrating. This, to me, is the hallmark of great storytelling – the ability to easily absorb the reader into the narrative and transport him or her to the place that the author would like them to enter.

I am still a novice when it comes to writing, let alone storytelling. But I am glad I came across this article. I have no doubt that it will serve as an inspiration, shining a light on the road that I will, hopefully, continue to walk on.