The DNA of a story and why you should care

A is for ACCURATE 🎰✏️🧬

Stories are baked into your DNA; you can do nothing about it.

“Cool story, bro. We kinda knew that”

Ok. But what if I told you that STORIES have their own DNA, and you can learn, tame, and rule the streets if you know it well?

“Keep talking”

Essentially, DNA is nature’s script for your body. 🧬💬

It’s what gives you dimples, freckles, or a funny-looking mustache like yours truly:

Nature loves to be phunny 🫠

What’s cool is that DNA remixes only 4 ingredients:

Adenine (A), Thymine (T), Cytosine ©, and Guanine (G).

The same 4 are used for the entire human race, including Beyoncé.

Now, these particles pair like this:

(bro-science section almost over)

A with T

and

C with G.

The pairing sequence is everything. That’s how information is stored in our DNA.

phew, done.

Now:

Pairing story particles

(C)haracter: Accounting student, second generation.

(D)esire: Wanting to quit uni to become a mime.

(O)bstacle: Oppressive parents. Mimes’ poor social status.

(R)esolution: She finds a mentor, becomes a mime, hates it, and returns to dental school, knowing she gave it a fair shot.

And we pair them:

(C)haracter with (D)esire

and

(O)bstacle with (R)resolution

---

It works like this: 

(there are many archetypes, I'm using only 3)

THE

1. Chosen One — Neo

2. Underdog — Rocky

3. Reluctant Hero — Luke Skywalker

WANTS

1. Love — Amélie

2. Freedom — Katniss

3. Revenge — Beatrix Kiddo

BUT THE

“This is stopping them”

1. Villain — Caster Troy

2. Time Pressure — Back to the Future

3. Society or Culture — The Handmaid’s Tale

AND THIS IS HOW THEY GET IT (or not)

1. Triumph over Adversity — Cast Away

2. Self-Discovery and Growth — Ladybird

3. Sacrifice — Armaggeddon

It beats me how someone could overcome Castor Troy via “Self-Discovery and Growth. But hey, you always have DEUX EX MACHINA

Like this one ☝️🚙🦖

The beauty of storytelling is that the fundamental elements are generative. You can mix-match and fill in the blanks as you wish. 🎰

Each of us is a wealth of obsessions, friends, enemies (I’m looking at you, Australian Magpie), origin stories, go-to dad jokes, struggles, kinks, you name it.

They all weave beautiful and complex strands of collective DNA 🧬.

Once a good story has been created, it can be retold and adapted into books, films, video games, or a gripping series of fortune cookies. 🥠

The sky is the limit. Go wild!❤️‍🔥

The more we understand the DNA of storytelling, the more we can use it to create and reinforce better narratives, including the stories you tell to yourself and to others.

If you understand stories, you’ll be unstoppable.

See you on the next one!

Matias.

Like, sub, share, comment? :)