Donald Miller has a simple invitation for you: do Storyline now.
Storyline: Finding Your Subplot In God’s Story is the name of Miller’s new book, although the “book” label doesn’t quite capture it. In truth, Storyline is a module-based, experience-driven, interactive guide through your past, present, and future.
In a way, Storyline picks up where A Million Miles In a Thousand Years left off. But whereas the latter was Miller’s reflection on the principles of story and the implications for his life, the former is more about you, the reader. Miller still teaches the elements and dynamics of story, but in doing so he’s guiding the reader to do the reflective work. Ultimately, Storyline demands that its readers pick up a pen, use their imaginations, and fill in the blank spaces with the particulars of their individual stories.
Storyline is not meant to be a mere source of intellectual inspiration and tweetable pull-quotes. Rather, it’s meant to be a catalyst, a journey, a sequence of exercises that point you toward your most compelling life and work. Storyline can function as a sort of inciting incident — an event that propels a person or a group into a story. It can also function as a mentor (a la Joseph Campbell) that equips us for the path ahead.
I tell you all of this about Storyline, dear Echo Hub readers, for three reasons:
- Great creative work doesn’t happen by accident. Instead, great creative work happens when we move with intention. Storyline is about helping us find and focus on that which we should move toward next.
- There’s a unique media and technology aspect. Storyline readers can also get the audiobook version free and participate in an online community of people outlining and sharing their stories. Get the details here.
- Donald Miller is a key part of Echo Conference. He keynoted for us in 2008 (our first event) and 2010, and he’s coming back in 2013. The reason for this is very simple — we believe in the value of his work and voice, and he believes in the Echo audience.
There’s no question that Storyline represents an investment of your time, money, and emotions, but it’s an investment I believe you should make. Do Storyline now.
Scott McClellan is the Editor of Echo Hub and the Director of Echo Conference. You can follow him on Twitter: @scottmcclellan.