BrandScript Element 2 - Create a Villain

These are my notes from reading Donald Miller's book on Building a StoryBrand. Chapter 5 goes through the second stage of his BrandScript Framework which is about creating a villain.

If you want to check out the other parts of this series, the links are below:

1. Overview
2. Identify the Character
3. Create a Villain
4. Introducing a Guide
5. Give them a Plan
6. Call them to Action
7. Prevent Failure
8. End with a Win
9. Participate in Their Transformation
10. Brandscript your Website
11. The Narrative Void
12. The Marketing Roadmap

1. The Principle: Customers Act on Internal Problems

Identifying the customers’ problems deepens their interest in the story we are telling. Good stories are about somebody who is trying to solve a problem. When a brand identifies the customers’ problems, they feel understood.

The more we talk about the problems our customers experience, the more interest they will have in our brand.

The Villain

The villain is the best device storytellers can use to give conflict a clear point of focus.

You can personify the problems to capture imagination and give frustrations a focal point.

Here are four characteristics that make a good villain:

1. The villain should be a root source.
2. The villain should be relatable.
3. The villain should be singular.
4. The villain should be real.

Levels of Conflict

• External Problems
• Internal Problems
• Philosophical Problems

The villain instigates an external problem that causes the character to experience an internal frustration.

External Problems

The external problem is often a physical, tangible problem. The hero must overcome it in order to save the day.

The purpose of an external problem in a story is to make the internal problem appear.

Internal Problems

Stories teach us is that people’s internal desire to resolve a frustration is a greater motivator than their desire to solve an external problem.

Philosophical Problems

Usually involve the words:

• ought to
  • People ought to have a fair share
• shouldn’t
  • Waitstaff shouldn’t be treated badly

Philisophical problems usually have a deeper meaning.

Putting them together:

1. Villain
2. External Problems
3. Internal Problems
4. Philosophical Problems

Orchestrate it so that a single Call to Action resolves all three types of problems in one go.

Practice Time

For each character in my practice from the previous post, I practiced figuring out a villain and the three different types of problems. I focused down on one single problem for each category.