The Complete Creator Framework Every Storyteller Needs with Anubhav Srivastava
"The best of the writers know structures are important. And then they forget that they've been intuitively following a structure and tell the world you don't need structure. The rest of the people think they don't need structure and realize by the hundredth page they don't know what the story is going to be."
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What if there was one place where you could brainstorm your story, build your characters, map your world, storyboard your structure, and connect with expert storytellers who could help you take it further?
That's exactly what Anubhav Srivastava set out to build. Four years, 17 chapters, and over 2,000 hours into writing his own fantasy fiction novel, Anubhav built VocaTales: a visual story crafting platform designed for planners, organizers, and creative thinkers who need more than a blank page.
In this episode, Anubhav breaks down how VocaTales works, how it compares to tools like Scrivener and Miro, and why he built it exclusively for storytellers rather than corporate use cases. He also introduces UpTales, the companion platform where writers can connect with professional editors, writing coaches, and storytelling experts for short calls, long-term coaching, or workshopping their work. Together, VocaTales and UpTales form what Anubhav calls the Creator OS: a full flywheel from the first spark of an idea all the way to publication and beyond.
We also dig into what Anubhav has learned from interviewing and collaborating with great storytellers, why structure is the most underrated tool any writer has, and why he believes AI should power your left brain tasks so your right brain can stay free to do what only humans can do. This one is equal parts product demo, storytelling masterclass, and a deeply personal conversation about dharma, self-discovery, and why the best products, like the best stories, are built for the creator first.
In this episode, you will learn how to:
Use structure and story frameworks as a foundation for creativity rather than a constraint on it
Understand the difference between VocaTales for building your story and UpTales for finding the right expert to help you grow it
Start distributing your creative work from day one — not after the final draft is done
Use AI for analytical and efficiency tasks while protecting your creative right-brain work from outsourcing
Apply the promise, progress, payoff framework to hook readers from your very first line
“The best of the writers know structures are important. And then they forget that they've been intuitively following a structure and tell the world you don't need structure. The rest of the people think they don't need structure and realize by the hundredth page they don't know what the story is going to be.”
- Anubhav Srivastava
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Some of the highlights of the episode:
00:00 — What If You Could Build Your Whole Story in One Place?
02:00 — Meet Anubhav Srivastava: Engineer, Founder, Storyteller
03:59 — What VocaTales Is and Who It's For
06:24 — Why Structure Is the Most Underrated Storytelling Tool
08:47 — Collaboration, Templates and the Building Blocks of Story
10:41 — He Built the Tool He Needed First
12:20 — What a Creative Writing Course at U of Chicago Taught Him
17:07 — The Gap VocaTales Fills That Scrivener and Miro Cannot
20:41 — Fiction vs Nonfiction Building Blocks on the Platform
22:30 — Patterns of the Greats: What Top Storytellers All Do
28:07 — Introducing UpTales: Find the Right Expert When You Need Them
32:27 — Why Rain Finally Understood How VocaTales and UpTales Fit Together
36:17 — Keep Human Creativity Alive: The AI Philosophy Behind the Platform
40:22 — Dharma, Self-Discovery and Why Art Takes So Long
42:40 — The Parallel Between Executive Summaries and Great Storytelling
46:01 — Anubhav's Favorite Feature on VocaTales
47:55 — Share the Process Not Just the Product
49:43 — What's Next: Creator OS and the Full Flywheel
As always, I hope you enjoy the episode!
Rain
🔗 Follow Anubhav on:
Website → https://www.vocatales.com
Platform → VocaTales (story crafting tool) → https://www.vocatales.com
Platform → UpTales (expert storytelling community) → https://www.uptales.com
LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/anubhavsrivastava
Special Offer → Free premium access for TSL listeners → check show notes link at vocatales.com
Books Referenced → The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
People Referenced → Brandon Sanderson
People Referenced → J.R.R. Tolkien
For more storytelling tips and strategies,
Visit my website rainbennett.com, or
Follow me on TikTok @chiefstorytellingofficer
Follow me on Twitter @rainbennett
Follow me on Instagram @rainbennett
Follow me on Facebook @thestorytellinglab
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