Good Day Brewers - Pang here! ☕

Recently, I’ve been hopping on a bunch of calls with people and making new friends.

It’s LOVELY listening to your stories.

So keep sharing them with the people around you.

You’re doing GREAT!

As you practice sharing your stories, you gain CLARITY.

Your skills will only improve over time, so keep BREWING them stories, shall we? 😉

Estimated reading time: 1,215 Words - 5 mins 6 secs

For the longest time, people have been asking me this question.

Do you need a HERO in every story?

And I can understand WHY.

Because most books you’ve read told you so. Your friends may have told you so. A random guy on Twitter probably told you that in their framework.

I’d say that depends on how you define “HERO”.

For example, the book I’m currently reading - Sell With a Story by Paul Smith. He mentions that you need a HERO in your story. But he then goes on to define the HERO as the MAIN CHARACTER, not someone who SAVES THE DAY.

So to clear up the confusion, let’s make it simpler.

You need a main character - the PROTAGONIST.

If you’re sharing a personal story, you are often the protagonist. But that may not always be true either. More on that later..

Besides the main character, the supporting characters matter too!

As for how many characters should you have in the story. IT DOESN’T MATTER. So long as the characters you mention are relevant to the story.

Why not let’s break down a famous story, to begin with?

HARRY POTTER.

First, let’s think about Harry as a character. Despite his difficult upbringing, Harry is BRAVE and COMPASSIONATE, and his desire for justice and truth drives him to fight against the evil Lord Voldemort.

But what’s so lovely about that?

Harry's experiences and personality traits make him a RELATABLE and COMPELLING character. It’s easy to SYMPATHIZE with his struggles and root for him to overcome the challenges he faces throughout the story.

He’s the clear HERO in the story.

But wait.. there’s more.

What about Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger? They are Harry’s closest friends.

Ron sometimes struggles with feelings of INADEQUACY, particularly when compared to his more talented friends, Harry and Hermione. But he provides emotional support to the team.

Hermione is a PERFECTIONIST and can sometimes be inflexible in her opinions. Yet she is intelligent and strategically supports the team by coming up with solutions to difficult problems.

Both of them are supporting characters.

Without them? You wouldn’t have LOVED the Harry Potter series as much.

Their quirks and flaws make them relatable and endearing, and their friendship with Harry adds a layer of depth and complexity to the story.

Now.. how about a personal example from me?

Sounds good? But before that..

Pay attention to the characters involved in this story. See if you can find a HERO.

---

I'd love to share a wonderful moment that I saw while I was out for a run the other day.

As I was jogging in the park, I spotted a young man walking his charming Pembroke Welsh Corgi. The dog's fluffy butt and stubby legs were absolutely adorable, and I couldn't help but grin from ear to ear.

However, my attention was quickly diverted as I saw another cute little Corgi run up to them from the opposite direction.

As the two furry friends caught sight of each other, their tails began to wag with such excitement that they could hardly contain themselves. They started barking and jumping in circles as if they had just reunited with their long-lost best friend. But wait...

The real MAGIC of this moment happened when I saw a young woman, also in her 20s, approach him. And these two strangers began striking up a conversation. They started talking about their Corgis. And before you know it, they were chatting away like old friends.

This experience made me realize that in our busy, fast-paced lives, we often overlook the power of simple connections. So why not take a moment to appreciate the little things in life?

---

So are there any hero(es) in the story?

Some would argue that the Corgis were the HEROES. But did they save the day? That’s very debatable.

Who was the protagonist here?

The Corgis were. That’s where all the action is and they managed to drive an outcome - two strangers meeting and possibly falling in love.

But what if, there’s a little twist to the story?

---

"Hey Peach, come here!" I called out to my little rebel, who can be quite playful and stubborn at times.

As I tried to put on her leash over her chunky neck, she resisted, as usual. So, I walked over to the cabinet and grabbed a bag of her favorite sweet treats - blueberry popsicles. I placed one gently in her food bowl and she jumped for joy. I saw my opportunity and swiftly leashed her chunky neck and gave her a good pat on the head.

Finally, it was time for a chill evening walk in the park. The sky was painted with a beautiful splash of orange, giving it a warm glow while the sun set on the horizon.

As we rounded a bend, Peach charged forward, tugging on the leash, and began jumping around and barking at another Pembroke Welsh Corgi.

It turned out the owner of the other Corgi was a cute girl in pink joggers. She wore a pink hairband with a yellow ribbon and a shirt that read "I'm awesome!"

"Hey, that's a cutie. What's her name?" she asked.

"Peach. How about your cutie right there?"

"Waffles. I came up with her name when I was eating waffles," she replied.

We both laughed, and my heart started fluttering. I could feel my cheeks turning the color of spicy red chilis. But it wasn't just me - her cheeks were red too..

---

Was there a hero here?

Probably not.

But the protagonist was clear, isn’t it? I’m the main character of this story.

Am I relatable?

YES. Based on my actions towards my Corgi, Peach, you could tell that I’m patient and loving towards her even though she was stubborn and playful. If you own a dog, I’m sure you can RELATE to this. Besides that, as the story unfolds, you’ll realize that I fell in love at first sight. Again, another RELATABLE moment for people who’ve experienced this. Did you feel the LOVE and WARMTH filling your heart?

So there you go.

Stories like the Harry Potter series are wildly popular because there is DEPTH to the characters, making them both interesting and RELATABLE. Perhaps people find stories with HEROES to be more interesting.

But that shouldn’t stop you from sharing your OWN stories just because there isn’t a HERO. With interesting characters, they can still be relatable, like the one I just shared.

Hope you like this one.

Coffee’s on me if you read till the end. ☕

Your Barista,Pang

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Struggling with telling stories? Reach out to me here.