Your TRIZ class was engaging in the way you connected with us. It helped broaden the way we approached problems.
COEXIST - Actionable Stories for Sustainable Change - C - Choose a hero, issue
What is common between Captain America, Lord Rama (in Ramayana1), Marlin (from Finding Nemo2), Katniss Everdeen (from The Hunger Games3), Harry Potter, Neo (from The Matrix4) and Ishaan (from Taare Zameen Par5)?
They are my favorite people from these stories, but they also happen to be heroes of their stories.
One of the key elements for a story is a protagonist or hero who leads us through the story. The hero is relatable - we are able to relate to their situations. If we like them, we root for them to succeed in their quest. This is the core of the hero’s journey template of stories. You can take any of your favourite stories, you will find a hero at the center of the story. This hero is some human (or animal or robot) you cared about and now want them to achieve their goal in the story (usually against all odds).
In this series on how to write stories, we explore how to write actionable stories for sustainable change. In this post, we explore the first step to getting the story going - Choosing a hero and an issue (an urban wetlands issue).