Tell a Better Story

"A story is a character who wants something and overcomes conflict to get it." Donald Miller

Do you ever tell your kids stories?  Good, old-fashioned, spoken, made-up stories?  I tried to do this for the first time the other day, and I really struggled to tell a good story.  Actually, I struggled to tell "a" story... much less a good one. This was my story: The protagonist (who shared a name with my child - it was all I could come up with) went to the park, saw his friend, played some, and them came home. It was more a re-cap of our afternoon than a story, and it really bothered me that I couldn't come up with anything better.

Then, I read Don Miller's book "A Million Miles in a Thousand Years."  Don sheds a lot of light on telling a good story, but his thesis is this: "A story is a character who wants something and overcomes conflict to get it."  The more we can identify with the main character, the more noble his or her ambition, the fiercer the conflict, and the more triumphant the overcoming... the more epic the story. This resonated with me so much. I immediately thought of two of my favorite stories, The Lord of the Rings and The Shawshank Redemption, and realized that they both contain all elements of a great story.

The formula is simple: Story = character + desire + conflict + overcoming. So, I started thinking:

1. I can use this simple formula to tell better stories to my son. 
2. I can use this simple formula to tell a better story with my life, and to help my son tell a better story with his. 

What kind of story are you telling? What kind of character are you? What is the thing you want? What conflict is keeping you from getting it? And what can you do to overcome that conflict?

Think about it... then go tell a great story!