EPISODE 23: In most entertainment, an origin story is an account or back-story revealing how a character or group of people become a protagonist or antagonist. That means the bad guy and the good guy both get to have an origin story. Understanding the story behind a character adds to the overall interest and complexity of a narrative. It gives some dimension, rather than a baddie or a goodie, we have a context for their intentions and a reason for their behaviour.
In most American comic books, the origin also refers to how characters gained their superpowers and/or the circumstances under which they became superheroes or super villains.
As an aside from this, there is also the pourquoi story, also dubbed an "origin story". It is used in mythology and comes from the French for “why”. These are African or Indigenous stories for why the giraffe has a long neck or how the rainbow serpent is a creator god linked with rain. Most cultures have created stories to explain events and situations they didn’t otherwise understand.
Story creates a deeper resonance between humans. The collective unconscious makes sense of the unknown with story. Fables and legends capture the stories of our ancestors. With an origin story, everyone’s lives are explained and they are understood.
If we take this principle across to business, by telling the story of where you've come from and what transformation you underwent, people can see why you now have a creative superpower and how one day they might also overcome the struggles they currently face.
In today’s podcast episode, you will discover:
- Why you should write your origin story
- How to choose which elements to include in your origin story
- Why your focus should be on points of significance in your story
- How you can take people on your journey
- Strategies for adapting stories from comic books
- How to get clear on your story
- The importance of talking about your struggles.
Resources from this episode
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