"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

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 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

Links & Resources

Follow Anubhav Srivastava

• 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:

Website → https://rainbennett.com

Podcast → https://thestorytellinglabpodcast.com

Or follow along at:

TikTok → https://www.tiktok.com/@chiefstorytellingofficer

Twitter/X → https://twitter.com/rainbennett

Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/rainbennett

Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/thestorytellinglab

YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/@RainBennett

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