At the start of Ferris Bueller's Day Off, our hero tells us EXACTLY what he wants:

"This is my ninth sick day this semester. If I go for ten, I'm probably going to have to barf up a lung. So, I absolutely MUST MAKE THIS ONE COUNT."

At the start of Casino Royale, M reads Bond the riot act:

You stormed into an embassy! You violated the only absolutely inviolate rule of international relationships! And why? So you could kill a nobody! ... We are trying to find out how an entire network of terrorist groups is financed and you give us one bombmaker!

Ferris wants a day off and James Bond wants to stop a terrorist network, but really we could do this all day:

Tony Soprano wants to be the man he's pretending to be
She-Hulk wants to be a lawyer
Walter White wants to protect his family
Frodo wants to protect the Shire
Daenerys wants the Iron Throne

Every great story – whether on page, stage or screen – is about the quest for something.

But what do you notice about the list?

There are two kinds of wants. The desire for some specific thing (e.g. a great day off), or the return of something lost (e.g. peace and security)

In either case, the want is the ENGINE that drives the story forward.

So if you are telling your business story, start with what YOU wanted.

The clearer you make it, the stronger foundation your story will have.

When I stepped back from my agency in 2016 ... I wanted to write a novel ... but that was only part of it.

More tomorrow.

Nick

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This is one of 30 riffs on #Business #Storytelling. Follow me to get the series.

What Do You Want?

At the start of Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Ferris let's us know EXACTLY what he wants: "Thi

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