Who's telling your story?

'Tell me something', Christie a buddy of mine says to me the other day, 'When it comes to writing somebody else's life story, you'll agree that some people have more engaging ones than others. Right?' 'Right', I say, wondering where exactly this nonchalant question might be leading to. 'So if you were asked to write a story about somebody who,lets say, lived a fairly boring life, that would be futile? I mean, sure you can spice it up with a bit of writer's flair, but ultimately you're sitting with a dull story.' 'Right', I say hesitantly, feeling a tingle of heat creeping up the side of my neck. 'And you wouldn't want to lie to your readers now would you?' 'Yes. I mean no, no I wouldn't.' That was three times I've been agreeing with him and I'm waiting for the final slam-dunk and a 'guilty as charged' verdict following soon. 'So how do you do it then? How do you make that dull, boring story come to life? What's the secret?'

That was it? I felt like I've been let off the hook. Don't get me wrong, I was grateful, but I soon realized that the answer to the question he was asking was more complex than just a normal straightforward one, one I couldn't give to him right there and then. It bothered me. Later that evening, after I got home, I was sitting behind my desk and reflecting on my day, Christie's question popped into my mind again. How do you bring a story to life?  For some reason, I thought about Volkswagen.

When Volkswagen makes an ad, there's usually a great story involved. They are renowned for their classic, simple-styled, yet always inspiring ads. As a boy growing up, I remember there was one in particular that grabbed my attention. It was shot back in the 80's and was part of their Memories campaign. It was awesome. Still is.

At 1 minute 30 seconds, it's longer than your average commercial. Why we have such short commercials today, I don't know. Perhaps on-air time was cheaper back in the 80's, or perhaps there was a greater emphasis on taking your time when you have a great story to tell. I would say that when you want to touch peoples lives significantly enough with your advertising so they would want to choose to align themselves positively with your brand, taking a bit more time to show them something of good quality is probably the better idea. 

Memories was a great campaign because it did exactly that, it took the time to reflect on the events that played itself off in all of our lives. They positioned their brand in the middle of it all, demonstrated great strategic insight by doing so and left us all with a memorable story.

To say my life story is better than yours will be wrong. I've never been in your shoes so I simply can't know. You can pretend to do so when you're writing, do as much research and interview as many people as you like to try and get as close as possible to the emotional nuances that make up someone's life, but it will never be the same as actually living through those moments yourself.

Sometimes, someone comes along that tells a story so well, you feel like it resonates with your own. It's not your story, but it could have been. It draws you in, makes you feel alive, almost like the world knows about you, or at least somewhere, someone knows and understands something important about you. A core value. Perhaps a dream or a belief. You feel touched, strengthened, out there somebody cares. It's a great feeling. Who ever they are, they've It inspired you. You reassess your situation, look deep inside, and find new courage and to get back into the game of life. Sounds so simple, doesn't it? And yet it's not. Thing is if you do pull it off, brother, that's the start of a great story right there.