First I will thank Nathan Baugh, for his WorldBuilders emails I savor every day and especially for his August 5 post with 100 historically- and -culturally relevant ideas for personal storytelling.
We all need to improve our storytelling, to be more memorable. It’s one of the oldest professions in world history (let’s not argue what is the oldest!) and its fascination transcends all cultures.
And it is even more relevant now, to rise above the din, offer your voice, to help yourself and to energize others. Just like I am doing here.
Today I am starting a series of 4 posts that each use 25 of his 100 ideas. His words in non-italic; I added my ideas in italics at the end of each of them to answer the questions I get so often:
What should I post about?
How can I garner the right story ideas to tell others?
Why should anyone care?
You are no longer unable to relate just one personal aspect (hopefully more!) of your career narrative story!
Over the next days you will get 100 great archetypes as Baugh calls them, and the same quantity of my self-curated idea jogs to tell us a story about:
- why you,
- how you won,
- how you lost and resurfaced,
- how you put in the time and emerged victorious,
- how,
- why,
- never what. Because that’s what all the others do. Be unique in your story.
Here are the next 25 (the first 25 are at https://wp.me/pT2tC-uc8_ and 26-50 are at https://wp.me/pT2tC-ucn and 51-75 are at https://wp.me/pT2tC-ucs).
| 100 Timeless LinkedIn Post/Article Archetypes |
76. The MacGuffin: The story revolves around a mysterious object or goal that drives the plot, even if its true nature is irrelevant. We knew something was wrong and it took a village to diagnose and prevent it from happening again. Read how…
77. Crime and Punishment: The story explores the consequences of criminal actions and the pursuit of justice. How I exposed graft and deceit and why I am (and the client is) glad I did
78. Parallel Lives: The narrative follows the interconnected lives of multiple characters. We are soulmates but 1000s of miles away and yet with the internet it’s like we are in the same room seamlessly working together
79. The Fall from Grace: The protagonist experiences a dramatic downfall from a position of power or prestige. I thought I had all the answers and then this came up to humble me
80. The False Prophecy: Characters discover that a prophecy they believed in was a deception or misinterpretation. The same-old-same-old no longer worked and here’s the realization I came to
81. Hidden Heir: The protagonist discovers their royal or significant lineage, leading to a change in status. The outgoing CXO made me their replacement much to my and everyone’s surprise and why they agreed
82. Cursed Bloodline: Characters grapple with a cursed family or bloodline, facing generational consequences. I never knew I could do it, and then I did, and I keep succeeding, and make it grow as I mature
83. Generation Gap: The story highlights the conflict and misunderstandings between different generations. I assumed they would never want to work with me and when I changed my myopic outlook I was amazed at how we could collaborate
84. Navigating the Afterlife: Characters journey through the afterlife, facing challenges and exploring the nature of existence. I am sure this is not LinkedIn material….a little too out there
85. Framed for Murder: The protagonist is wrongfully accused of a murder they did not commit. This too is not for LinkedIn
86. Obsession: A character becomes consumed by an obsession, leading to their downfall or transformation. I had one thing on my mind to fix this but soon I learned there’re other ways to accomplish it better
87. The Long Return Home: Characters face a challenging journey back to their home after a long absence. I came back to the company I quit years ago and was pleased to find the reason I left had been resolved
88. Twist of Fate: The story takes unexpected turns due to chance or fate, altering the characters’ paths. Who knew this could happen, and it did!
89. The Dark Past: A character’s dark or mysterious past comes back to haunt them. I really wish I had explained the gap in my work history in my own words, rather than being on the defensive when the potential client asked me
90. The Heirloom: A significant family heirloom holds secrets or powers that affect the protagonist’s life. My ancestry and prominent family name have nothing to do with who I am and why I do what I do!
91. The Puppet Master: Characters are controlled or manipulated by a powerful, unseen force. I am what I am, and no one can pigeonhole me and here’s my best effort at telling you this
92. The Final Stand: Characters face a climactic, last-ditch battle against overwhelming odds. I had one chance to make an impact and I sure did. You can learn from this too when it’s your time
93. The Ultimate Power: The story revolves around the pursuit of an ultimate power or ability. No one else can give my clients the same rewarding attention I give, and that’s exactly why they stayed with me over 20 years. I’ll explain this superpower…
94. The Perfect Crime: A character plans and executes a seemingly flawless crime. Let’s leave this for late night TV and not LinkedIn
95. The Sacrificial Hero: The protagonist makes a heroic sacrifice to save others or the world. I resolved a problem that dogged my client for months and it was complicated but I saw the light for them
96. The Enchanted Forest: Characters venture into a mystical and mysterious forest with magical properties. Uh, not on LinkedIn please
97. The Lost Civilization: Characters discover and explore an ancient, advanced, or lost civilization. Same, we assume if you have LinkedIn you have electricity and internet service. No human sacrifices allowed.
98. The Hidden Enemy: Characters must uncover a hidden traitor or enemy within their ranks. They tried to manufacture a calamity to derail me every time I went on a business trip and I caught them red-handed. The CFO had no idea how sick the finance department was (this really happened to me)
99. The Cursed Land: The story unfolds in a cursed or haunted location with dark secrets. Indiana Jones is not on LinkedIn; let’s leave this one out too
and 100. The Time Paradox: Characters encounter time loops, alternate timelines, or paradoxes that challenge their understanding of reality. Peabody, take us back to the time before LinkedIn, to remind some of you how it is such a valuable tool you would miss if you were without it (only some of you will know Mr. Peabody!)
I’d love your comments on how helpful this is to you. Then I’d really like to move you to be courageous and write your first one and publish it to LinkedIn as a post or Newsletter article. Once you try, the more you will find your voice to talk more about why you in deeds and stories. Now try for two in a week. See? not so hard…