I'm unemployed and I live with my parents

I pause the TV and ask Patricia, 

“Did you catch what Ian just said?

“That he made sandwiches for Emma?” 

“No, that he’s broke, so the sandwiches only have jam.” 

“And…?” 

“I’m pretty sure that’s going to matter later!” 

“Can you put the episode back on now?” 

“Ok…” 

We’re at home, watching One Day, a “will they, won’t they” Netflix show about Emma and Dexter and their relationship over the years. 

Ian is a not-very-good comedian and Emma’s boyfriend - for now. 

Later in the episode, they get home to find a huge bouquet of flowers by their door, and Emma says, 

“Ian, they’re beautiful!” 

“Not from me…,” he replies, looking downcast. 

They’re not. They’re from Dexter - who’s got a hit TV show and can afford flashy gifts. 

I stop the show again and say, 

“See? I told you!” 

“Told me what?” 

“Ian said he had no money, but now we know that Dexter has money, and Ian is annoyed by that. Money is definitely going to matter in the story, and they only needed three lines to show us that, it’s brilliant!” 

“That’s great. Can you…” 

“Put the episode back on?” 

“Please.” 

My wife clearly does not appreciate having a storytelling expert in the house 😅

“My name is George. I’m unemployed and I live with my parents.”

My favourite Seinfeld episode is when perennial loser George Constanza decides that since every decision he’s ever taken turned out wrong, doing the opposite must be right. 

(And it is. George becomes more successful with women and gets his dream job by going against his instincts - and it’s hilarious. You can watch a couple of scenes here and here.) 

Storytelling is about opposites, about creating contrasts. In fiction, the differences between characters (or the same characters over time) are almost always exaggerated to create dramatic tension and make the character journeys easier to follow. 

In One Day, Ian has no money, awkwardly tries to be funny, and treats Emma like she’s the best woman in the world. Dexter is successful and naturally charming, but he’s also full of himself and (mostly) takes Emma for granted. I haven’t watched the whole show yet, but I’m fairly certain that Ian’s awkwardness - or the stress from his failed career as a comedian - will get in their way eventually. I’m also sure Dexter will become a nicer person. That’s how fiction works. 

But you’re not writing fiction 

You can’t invent character journeys. You also can’t invent opposites. Here are a couple of things you can do instead: 

1. Early in your story, have your character do or say something that they would not have done at the end of the story, after they’ve changed or learned a lesson 

Did they learn about teamwork? Then have them try to do something without any help first. Did they realise they were neglecting the people that actually matter? Then start by showing a time when they didn’t give someone importance or took them for granted. Did they decide they were never going to do something again?Then have them do that thing first. 

2. Include something in the story that is a symbol for the change the character has gone through

You can make a jam sandwich, or buy the cheapest thing in the menu. Then later you buy something obviously expensive or invite someone to dinner at a nice place. You can take off without saying goodbye to your family, and then later you you make sure you give them a hug and tell them “I love you.”  

Again, I’m not asking you to invent anything! If the change in your story actually happened, you should be able to find those elements and highlight them - that’s all. 

I hope your instincts are better than George’s, and you’re not wrong all the time. 

When it comes to storytelling, though, using the opposite is always right 🤘

-Francisco 

Whenever you're ready, there are 3 ways I can help you:

1. Getting clarity through your story to stand out from all the other coaches, speakers and entrepreneurs out there 

2. If you dream of speaking on the Red Dot, take this Scorecard and instantly discover how likely your idea is to be accepted by a TED-style organizing committee

3. If you (or your team) got any storytelling challenges, I’m sure there’s something we can do together ;-)

Thanks for reading! Reply any time.