Don't Forget the Transformation
Catharsis is already baked in
Hi friend,
How are you? I hope you’re summer is going well.
I’m excited, as next week I’ll finally take some time off, roadtripping from Miami to Savannah, GA. Never been there, so I look forward to capturing that timeless magic of this historic town.
So heads up, I’ll be away next weekend.
Expect “freshly pruned” stories two weeks from now :)
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We often talk about memorable stories and what makes them click.
You likely remember that I give a lot of importance on planting meaningful obstacles in your story to better engage.
No problems - not interesting, right?
The larger picture here is that any good story leverages these obstacles to achieve a radical transformation your hero goes through.
To me, it’s the most fascinating aspect of storytelling: seeing how people can radically change in the face of adversity.
As you know, challenges keep us engaged, allow us to learn new things, and overall make us grow stronger.
Screenwriting guru Robert McKee calls this makeover The Core Binary.
Every story is about how a central human value fluctuates between two poles: positive or negative, like:
Justice / Injustice
Love / Hate
Truth / Lie
Your story can start at either pole to create a sense of emotional release. This allows your resolution act to host the larger moral of your story.
In brand storytelling, you typically find the negative-to-positive dynamic.
Key examples you may recognize:
Dove – Real Beauty Sketches: Women transform from self-doubt to self-confidence by seeing themselves through others’ eyes.
Nike – Find Your Greatness: Ordinary people turn self-doubt into determination through perseverance.
Airbnb – Belong Anywhere: Travelers go from feeling like outsiders to feeling at home wherever they stay.
What I like about this transformation dynamic is seeing the far distance the protagonist has to go from a non-believer to a believer.
The wider the gap, and the more pushbacks your protagonist makes refusing the change, the more satisfying and relatable it is to witness the transition.
Blake Snyder’s Save the Cat storytelling formula takes this one step further.
The A Story is the external plot (what the hero tangibly wants, say a glitzy Wall Street job).
While the B Story is the thematic subplot (what the hero spiritually needs, say leveraging a baking hobby and opening an artisanal bakery & coffeeshop).
It could be any polar wants.
Notable examples include:
Apple – Mac vs. PC ad: From dealing with a complicated, frustrating computer experience, the status quo → to a simple, intuitive, and enjoyable one.
Nike – Find Your Greatness: From believing greatness is only for elite athletes → to believing anyone can achieve greatness through effort.
You can see this transformative dynamic in action in this Red Cross video.
Watch how the narrator shares his story of changing from a non-believer in his capabilities, expressing 3 pushbacks, to a believer, helping others.
It’s a good example of a personal story supporting Red Cross’s narrative of serving as a beacon of hope:
So if you’re working on a new story, make sure your protagonist needs to go not just through a bunch of realistic obstacles with high stakes, but also show the significant transformation your protagonist gradually goes through.
Here is a good reminder to keep in your backpocket.
Coming at you courtesy of Rolling Stones’ classic hit:
“You can’t always get what you want (A Story), but if you try sometimes, you just might find, you get what you need (B story).”
See you next time!
Best,
- Shlomi
Shlomi Ron
Founder, Visual Storytelling Institute
shlomi@visualstorytell.com | Follow me on Notes
story > visual > emotion > experience
