PRIMARY GOAL IS TO ELICIT EMOTION 1.

Character (Hero/Protagonist)
A universal prescription for how we should
ALL live our lives

However you want your audience to change, 12. THEME Story Foundation
that is how your hero must change.
3. Conflict (Insurmountable Obstacles) 2. Desire/Goal (Clear & Specific Visible Goal)

The vivid "after" picture of the hero's new life

after achieving the visible goal.

Could be a person your product

The hero's reward for completing the journey. Doesn't have to be YOU.
has helped.
11. AFTERMATH
Show your buyers the life they can be living The person we're rooting for.
after using your product. 1. HERO
We want them to succeed.
Should MATCH the new life your audience
wants to be living or to achieve.
Has the POTENTIAL to become
"heroic".
What the audience has been
waiting to see.

Show your hero crossing the "finish line". Painting the BEFORE picture of the hero.
The moment your hero achieves the 10. CLIMAX
visible goal.
2. SETUP
Your hero much be victorious. His everyday life before the journey begins.
Story is not yet over...
Must create EMPATHY for the hero.
The hero's ARC.
Victim of some underserved
1. Sympathy
The hero moves from IDENTITY (living in fear) misfortune.
to ESSENCE (living courageously). 3. EMPATHY Must create a psychological
Danger of loss of something
"connection" between reader
2. Jeopardy important to the hero (doesn't have
(audience) and hero.
Hero stops asking "How can I not be afraid?" 9. TRANSFORMATION to be physical danger).
and instead asks "Am I willing to be afraid?"
3. Likability (generosity of character)
Selfless.
Often comes after major setback, retreat into Michael Hauge's Essential
IDENTITY, and moment of enlightenment from An event that has never happened
Elements of a Great Story Good (a gift) OR...
another character to your hero before, that gets the
story moving.
4. OPPORTUNITY Bad (a crisis)
Reflection
Aligned with the hero. This first new event of the story
propels the hero into a "new What is this new place?
Nemesis
In opposition to the hero. situation"...
8. SUPPORTING CHARACTERS
Romance What are the rules?
Object of hero’s desire.

Hero must adjust to this new world. ASKS... What is expected of me?
May have one, two or all three of these.
Do I really want this?
The bigger the obstacles the 5. NEW SITUATION
greater the emotional involvement THE PRIMARY SOURCE OF How do I survive/thrive?
of the reader (audience). EMOTION - desire alone is not
Anticipate the objections, problems enough; the goal is only there to Hero formulates their Visible Goal/ How do I survive/thrive?
and setbacks your buyer (audience) move the story forward). Outer Motivation
might encounter.

"Visible" obstacles
Hero begins pursuing the visible
Comes from other characters (competitors; OUTER CONFLICT goal (outer motivation)
nay-sayers) or forces of nature (accidents;
disasters; diseases) Example: Starts to use your
6. PURSUIT (action) product.
Invisible - exists WITHIN the character Hero devises a PLAN to achieve
that goal. The "plan" could be the steps your
WOUND - pain from the past 7. CONFLICT product teaches to achieve a
desired outcome.
BELIEF - false but logical
conclusion about the cause of the
wound

FEAR - Emotional fear that the

wound will occur again The tug-of-war between INNER CONFLICT
IDENTITY and ESSENCE
IDENTITY - The false self we
present to the world/our emotional
armor to protect us from our fears

ESSENCE - our truth beneath our

emotional protection; who we have
the potential to become