Why It’s Good When You Can’t Find Your Storytelling Path

In business, we often think we need to know where we’re going if we have any hope of getting there. But if your business is storytelling, sometimes the path undefined is the path to greatness. And that’s Rule #3 of Pixar’s 22 Rules for Phenomenal Storytelling.

Let’s drop the business angle for a moment; while your content marketing efforts exist to support your business and business process, your content won’t be any good unless it’s entertaining—and in storytelling a bit of uncertainty goes a long way.

Think about that for a moment; you’ll see it’s obvious. In fact, use Pixar‘s original opus, Toy Story to consider the issue. Remember when you were watching Toy Story for the first time? Oh sure, you were mesmerized by the animation and if you were old enough to have done the reading you were impressed with the techniques Pixar used to bring the first-ever completely-computer-generated film to the screen. But other than having a pretty good idea that all would turn out OK for Timmy, Woody, Buzz and the gang, you weren’t sure where the story was going or how it was getting there. And had you known the story’s resolution much before the credits rolled, it’s likely you would have slept through what would then be nothing more than a kids’ cartoon.

Find Your Storytelling Path

You’ve heard it before: life’s about the journey, not the destination. When on the path, you need to be looking for changes to it. Finding your storytelling path involves exploration and a willingness to go off in unexpected directions. Content Marketing is about the journey, too, because if your content is too focused on getting people to pick up the phone (or its metaphorical online equivalent) that message will far outweigh the story and your reader/listener/viewer will notice—and go away. Oh, you may have a storytelling path, but nobody will want to be on that path with you.

So be flexible. Be in a state of wonderment. Be a great storyteller. You don’t know what your story is about and you’re almost at the end? Good!

Want a guide to help find your storytelling path?