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How to Write a Good Story: Three Story Formulas to Help You

The Power of Stories

how to write a good story

I remember once, when I stopped at a rest area during a long drive home, a middle-aged man around 50 suddenly started chatting with me. As we talked, he shared his story: he was working odd jobs, his child was in the hospital after a car accident, and he had to cycle 50 kilometers on a highway every day to care for his child. He told me that many kind people would give him money for gas and food. After hearing his story, I sympathetically pulled out 10 euros and handed it to him before continuing my journey.

See that? That's the power of storytelling. The middle-aged man used his story to make me give him money, and I used this story to make you think I'm a generous person.

But that's not really the case. I grew up in a poor family, so I rarely donate or give to charity, and I'm very resistant to donation scams. I rarely give money to beggars on the street. Moreover, I was still a student living on scholarships at the time and was already quite tight on money. But amazingly, at that moment, I willingly took out money to help that middle-aged man, and I felt it was completely worth it. Because he let me personally experience the power of story marketing. If he had just come up and asked me for money, I definitely wouldn't have given it. But through his personal story, he successfully influenced me, a miser, to take out money without him even asking.

Stories are humanity's oldest tools of influence and the most persuasive communication technique. In the future, advertising, sales, gaming, and even broader workplace and business fields will require everyone to be skilled at storytelling. Whether you can move an interviewer, partner, investor, or consumer in three minutes depends greatly on telling a good story. No matter what field you're in, storytelling is a core skill for any profession that requires human communication.

Today I want to share this book called "The Story Class," which teaches you how to tell a good story using formulas. The story creation formulas I'll share today are: the Hardworking Person Formula, the Unexpected Person Formula, and the Target Person Formula.

how to write a good story

The Hardworking Person Formula

First, the Hardworking Person Formula. This formula emphasizes falling down again and again, getting up again and again, experiencing countless hardships, sweat, blood, and tears before the protagonist can reach the world's highest peak. Let's go through the complete process of the Hardworking Person Formula.

First step, what is the protagonist's goal? The protagonist's goal is to climb the world's highest peak, which is his youthful dream.

Second step, what are his obstacles? The protagonist was too busy building his career when young to fulfill his dream, and now he's been diagnosed with cancer with only three months to live. Ironically, now he finally has time to fulfill his dream.

Third step, how does he strive? During the climbing process, due to complete lack of climbing experience plus physical weakness, the protagonist fails again and again. First, the mountain guide refuses to climb due to bad weather, but the protagonist won't give up. Then he has a cancer attack, the ambulance comes, he's put on a respirator, but still won't give up.

Fourth step, what is his result? The protagonist, tortured until his last breath, finally climbs the world's highest peak. Looking at the beautiful scenery below, remembering his youthful dream, the protagonist sheds his final tear before closing his eyes forever. The Hardworking Person's story emphasizes the character's effort, effort, and ultimate effort. After hearing the story, the audience will be moved by the protagonist's never-giving-up spirit.

The Unexpected Person Formula

Second, the Unexpected Person Formula. The Unexpected Person Formula emphasizes the unimaginable. For example, just before reaching the summit, the protagonist accidentally falls into a valley. Then the story takes a big turn, the protagonist discovers something more important than reaching the world's highest peak and embarks on an incredible life journey. Although the focus of the Unexpected Person Formula is the unexpected, the turn is its true goal.

First step, what is the protagonist's goal? The protagonist's goal is to reach the world's highest peak because he wants to plant a flag at the summit to propose to a wealthy heiress.

Second step, what unexpected event happens to the original outcome? The protagonist is just one step away from the summit, but due to unresolved political and financial issues, while talking on the phone he argues with the wealthy heiress and accidentally falls from the summit.

Third step, how does the plot turn after the unexpected event? The protagonist falls into a river and, as he's about to drown, meets a girl attempting suicide. A man and woman - one wanting to die, one not wanting to die - meet underwater. The suicidal girl ends up saving the protagonist who doesn't want to die, and in doing so, the protagonist accidentally saves the suicidal girl.

Fourth step, what is the final outcome? The girl wanted to die because she was being forced to marry a rich man. The protagonist uses his political and financial influence to help resolve her economic troubles and deal with local evil forces. Finally, the protagonist and the girl fall in love.

Notice? The Unexpected Person's goal of reaching the world's highest peak is false; they must ultimately head toward a different goal. While the Hardworking Person's story moves people through repeatedly falling and getting back up, the Unexpected Person's story brings surprise through unpredictable turns.

The Target Person Formula

Third, the Target Person Formula. If you combine the Hardworking Person and Unexpected Person, you can tell a complete three-minute story. The fame of Chu Orange is related to its creator, because the owner of Chu Orange is called Chu Shijian. Now let's use the Target Person Formula's seven steps to tell a complete story about Chu Orange.

First step, what is the protagonist's goal? Chu Shijian is a village child who aims to achieve something in life.

Second step, what are his obstacles? In his youth, Chu Shijian participated in war as a guerrilla fighter - not just dipping his toes in the water, but actually carrying his own brother's body back from the battlefield, dealing with bullets and artillery fire daily. Through the baptism of war, he developed a military personality - direct and persistent, often unknowingly offending people.

Third step, how does he strive? After striving for most of his life, at 51, Chu Shijian finally became the director of a small tobacco factory. Having been on the battlefield, Chu Shijian had not only an eagle's vision but also a tiger's action power. He made a crucial decision: bypassing the tobacco company to buy goods directly from cigarette makers, then bypassing the supply and marketing bureau and local tobacco bureau to set up his own specialty stores and sell the goods himself.

Fourth step, what is his result? The result of buying and selling goods himself led Chu Shijian to create 99.1 billion in tax revenue for China over 18 years, becoming China's tobacco king. Even when national leaders came to inspect the tobacco factory, they couldn't help telling Chu Shijian, "Old Chu, you're not running a tobacco factory, you're running a tobacco stadium!"

Fifth step, what unexpected event happens to the original outcome? A sudden anonymous report letter knocked Chu Shijian from heaven to hell. Chu Shijian was charged with corruption, which was an undeniable fact. But it had its historical context - do you know how much the monthly salary of a tobacco empire's chairman was?

The answer is 3,000 RMB, so when Chu Shijian was about to hand over his power after nearly 20 years of effort, he couldn't help having selfish thoughts and embezzled 3 million US dollars. Thus, Chu Shijian was sentenced to life imprisonment and permanent deprivation of political rights. At this time, Chu Shijian was already in his 70s and facing life imprisonment - the story seemed to be reaching its end.

No, after the unexpected comes the turn, and the turning point is the best part because it's like the last 15 minutes of a movie or the final episode of a TV series - it's what the audience wants to see most.

Sixth step, how does the plot turn after the unexpected event? Three years later, Chu Shijian, imprisoned, was released on medical parole due to poor health. At 75 years old, when life seemed to be ending for many people, the village-born, military-minded Chu Shijian was still thinking about how to start over. Finally, he decided to return to his hometown in Yunnan and contracted 2,400 mu of wasteland to start growing oranges.

Seventh step, what is the final outcome? Ten years later, he's now known as the Orange King. His oranges are called Chu Oranges, generating tens of millions in annual revenue. People scramble to eat his oranges not because they're particularly delicious, but because his story is so amazing and inspiring. Now many students buy Chu Oranges during their exams because they represent that everyone has a chance to turn their life around even in the worst circumstances. Eating Chu Oranges while thinking about the protagonist makes them taste different - people can't help but cry, and through those tears comes courage. Crying while bravely facing life's difficulties! Do oranges really have such magical effects? Of course not. This magical effect comes from the story, and that's the charm of storytelling.

Using Decopy AI to Generate Story

how to write a good story

Well, these are the three formulas for creating wonderful stories that I've shared with you today. Let's review:

  • First, the Hardworking Person Formula, experiencing countless hardships and striving to achieve, can tell moving stories.

  • Second, the Unexpected Person Formula, presenting unexpected turns, can create surprising stories.

  • Third, the Target Person Formula, using seven steps to tell a complete story in three minutes. I hope you can flexibly use these three formulas to create your own unique and beautiful stories!

Besides this, welcome to visit our AI Story Generator website to experience the unique stories brought by AI. With just a few keywords, you can create your own story.

Taking the story from the Hardworking Person Formula as an example, using AI Story Generator to moisturize your story to make it plump.Its operation is very simple:

In the first step, making up the story outline of you writing according to the formula of the hard work, here is an example:

  1. The protagonist's goal is: Chen Yan, an executive of the construction company, aims to reach the highest peak in the world, which was his dream when he was young.

  2. The protagonist's obstacle is: he was diagnosed with advanced pancreatic cancer at the age of 45, and the doctor sentenced him to only three months of life.He decided to realize the climbing dream at the age of 25, conquering Everest.

  3. How the protagonist works: his weakness after chemotherapy makes him unable to even wear hiking boots, and the hired guide withdraws due to Blizzard warning.He mortgaged real estate purchase equipment and repeatedly hypoxic coma during simulated cabin training.When he rushed to the fourth time, he encountered an avalanche. He folded his right leg.

  4. The ending of the protagonist: In the early morning of the 78th day, he dragged his limbs to climb to the peak, buried his wife and children's photos in the 8,848 meters of snow piles, and always closed his eyes in the sunrise.

In the second step, entering the story outline based on the formula of the hard work. As shown in the picture:

how to write a good story

In the third step, click the Generate New Story button, the following is the generated story content:

Story Title: Rising Above

Chapter 1: The Dream Awakens

Chen Yan had always been a dreamer. Growing up in the bustling metropolis of Shanghai, the towering skyscrapers around him stirred a longing in his heart. The majestic peaks of the world, particularly Mount Everest, called to him like a siren song. At the age of 25, he was a fierce, ambitious man eager to conquer the world – both in business and in his heart. However, the responsibilities of his thriving construction company forced his dreams to take a backseat. It wasn't until he hit 45 that a shadow was cast over his ambitions. The diagnosis came like a thunderclap: advanced pancreatic cancer. The doctor’s words echoed in his mind, You have three months, Chen. Just like that, the world he built began to crumble. But in the depths of despair, the memory of his youthful dream illuminated the path ahead. He resolved to climb Everest, not just for himself but for his wife and children who always believed in his dreams.

how to write a good story

Chapter 2: The Climb of a Lifetime

Preparations had begun, but the journey was fraught with challenges. After a round of grueling chemotherapy, he struggled against the weakness that enveloped him. Donning hiking boots felt like wearing iron shackles. With every step, his body rebelled against him, but his spirit surged like a tide. Guides warned him about an impending blizzard, ultimately withdrawing. Undeterred, he mortgaged his real estate to purchase equipment and created a makeshift simulation cabin for training. Disoriented and gasping for air during simulated hypoxia, he pushed through, determined to grow stronger. On his fourth attempt at simulation, disaster struck. An avalanche roared through his consciousness, slicing through hope like ice. He felt pain shoot through his right leg before darkness engulfed him. When he awoke, the reality of his situation crashed onto him: he had severed tendons, but nothing could sever his will.

how to write a good story

Chapter 3: The Summit of the Soul

After countless days of training and battling pain, Chen set out to Everest. Each ascent was grueling, yet the thrill of each step brought him closer to his dream. On the 78th day, a sheer, crystalline silence hung in the air as dawn broke across the horizon. With frostbitten limbs and determination that bordered on madness, he dragged himself to the peak, fighting through the last fibers of muscle. There, at 8,848 meters, he buried photos of his wife and children beneath the eternal snow, a token of love and legacy. As the sun rose, breaking through layers of dark clouds, Chen closed his eyes, relishing the embrace of warmth and light. In that moment, he transcended the physical bonds that held him. He became more than a man; he became the embodiment of every dream left unrealized, every person who dared to fight against fate. His ascent was not just about reaching a peak but affirming life in the face of death. And as the sun cast its first light on the icy summit, Chen Yan's spirit soared, forever a part of Everest's majestic embrace.

how to write a good story

Do you see it? Such a wonderful story turned out to be generated by AI! AI Story Generator automatically strengthened the effort process through the story outline of the effort formula in the user input, and finally generated the inspirational structure that conforms to the "fall-climbing" cycle, moisturizing the story.In addition to this, after the user enters the keywords such as "cancer | climbing", AI Story Generator can automatically moisturize the details such as chemotherapy and "prosthetic limbs".

Not only that, the story structure that traditional screenwriters need to conceive for two weeks, AI Story Generator can complete the prototype in 5 minutes. Whether it is writing brand stories, game plots, or personal IP shapes, combined with story formulas and our AI tools, let story creation be artistic and communication