This blog post is inspired by the inimitable Donald Miller‘s book A Million Miles in a Thousand Years, which details the elements of a good story — and a good life — better than I ever could. (And I shouldn’t need to tell you, but if I do, that is not an affiliate link.)

There’s a product out there. It’s your product, but that doesn’t really matter. Maybe it’s sitting on a shelf somewhere. Or maybe it’s for sale on a website, but that’s not important. Maybe it’s one of those things you can only buy from a salesperson over the phone, or at a Tupperware party. But how people buy your product isn’t important, either.

This product — your product — does something that helps people. Again, not important; lots of products help people. The product is better than the products of your competitors. It is faster, cheaper, more delicious. Not important. The product is the first of its kind, maybe, or receives the highest ratings from third-party publications. Still not important. Are you getting the picture here? Okay.

None of these things is important because none of them has anything to do with the story of the product. It’s just how the story ends.

Where does it begin? It begins with an idea. What was the idea? Who had it? When?

Then what happened?

One of the simplest and most accurate definitions of a good story is this: a good story is one about a character who wants something and overcomes obstacles to get it. There are three parts to that definition. Let’s go over them.

A Character…
Who is your product? Who invented it? Who perfected it? Who makes it today? Who else makes it? Who buys it? Who uses it? Who benefits from it?

Each of these people is a character in your product’s story. The story matters, and cannot exist without a character. We can’t feel anything about your product unless we can relate to it on a human level. That means that we — your audience — have to find a human to connect with. So who is the human face of your product?

…Who Wants Something…
When the person who invented your product began drawing up sketches, what did he or she want to accomplish? The guy who assembles your product in a factory — why does he come to work every day? What is important to your customer?

For every character you could possibly write about, take a minute to think about his or her deepest desires. Be honest about them. Did the inventor of your product just want to make a quick buck? That’s okay — lots of us thought about inventing something that would turn us into millionaires someday. Most desires are universal. As long as you’re honest, we’ll be able to relate.

…and Overcomes Obstacles to Get it.
The inventor of your product came into some hardship on the road to producing a final product. What was it? How did he overcome it? What about the problems that the factory worker encounters on a daily basis? Or the struggles that drove your customer to buy your product?

Rooting for the underdog is a storied American tradition. We believe that the obstacles that you overcome become a part of your character — perhaps even the foundation upon which character is built. It’s ingrained in all of us from the day we are born that if we want something we have to work hard to get it. (At least, it used to be.) In short, stories of struggle resonate with us because we are all told to struggle, and often times we need to be reminded why we should.

Your Assignment
Here’s what I want you to do. I want you to tell a story with the three elements above. I don’t want you to talk about how great your product is, or how ingenious. I want you to tell me a story about a person who wants something, and who overcomes an obstacle to get it. Then put a link to it in the comments section.

Photo credit: Martin Deutsch