Why Narrative?

This is the inaugural blog post for Go Narrative! A new company, founded by Matthew Woodget, predicated on a passion for helping others lead more fulling lives and successful businesses fueled by the power of the modern narrative.

I got this, Isn't this just storytelling?

No! If you have been in business during the past five years you will have been hard pressed not to be exposed to the "storytelling" craze. If you were in high-tech, let along marketing then I'd be flat out surprised if it wasn't on your radar. I for one embraced it. I've always loved stories. Not just written or film. The very act of telling a story. Hearing a story. Being steeping in a story as an experience that I recognized was so profound that I'd be forever changed.

Hi-tech, among other industries, desperately needs impactful, well-crafted narratives. The competition. The Noise. The cloud services which are oh-so-easy to cancel your subscription from. Sticky customer journey require stories and proper storytelling requires intentional narratives.

Storytelling is a vast topic. It is massive. And most people just don't know how to decode a business problem and re-code it into the story format. Let alone how to land that story across multiple products, markets, channels and the customer journeys found in each. How can something which is so much a part of who we are (well said here by Story & Heart) be so hard to apply practically.

One word.

Narrative.

Story is really just all the who, what, how, when and where. It can be sliced and diced in many, many (I'll throw that in again for effect… MANY) ways. How you tell it can greatly affect the outcome, as any liar will tell you. The reason, there are many narratives. Every story has multiple, dozens or even hundreds.

Take something we have all done, going on vacation, and think about the planning, the journey, the experience at the destination and so forth. Did you have fun (I hope so)? Were you robbed (I hope not)? What did you learn, see, experience? You can tell a macro narrative of "the vacation". You can share how you were moved and changed by something you experienced (a sub narrative) or a lesson you learned in this different place (a micro narrative). All of these sit in the storyscape of your vacation and the story is tied together by narratives.

It just so happens that the same goes for your business and you are probably getting it wrong.

I'll end with some story-porn. I'm a sucker for a good film - you can pack so many narratives into one five minute piece. Imagery. Music. Narration.

As Story & Heart shared in the link above here is Blood & Oil by Cale Glendening. Enjoy!

Blood & Oil is a short film I have wanted to shoot for some time. It speaks to all avenues of passionate endeavors and the common thread of desire, determination and relentless pursuit it takes to see them through. That feeling that wakes you in the dead of night, the call to action that courses through your veins. It doesn't matter what you do or what your passion is, there is always room to be challenged, to grow, advance and to be more inspired. With that heart and intention, Blood & Oil is about wanting to create, be more awake and to be more alive. I have been lucky enough to both work and play with truly ambitious and talented people that push me more everyday, to those people I say a very special thank you. And I thank you for watching and to those who share this film. It was a very ambitious shooting schedule, we shot 16+ set ups in 9 locations in 3 days, not including the pick up/spontaneous shoot days. A behind the scenes blog is being posted on my website, with extra photos and extra footage! "The last of the embers cool in the waking dawn as the silence echoes through the empty roads and the beat of heavy hearts stir the morning air The wasteland smiles, a grin tired and stretched too thin Built on rotting soil the city starts to crack, the foundations perish and crumble Trapped and left wanting, the weary stay hidden behind heavy doors and rusted locks The undeserving cling to chances untaken There is no escape The darkness starts to build I welcome the storm with my fists clenched, the aching seething from my bones I cannot show you. I cannot take you with me The course is already written Moving in harmony, tracers strangle out the light The consumption of every movement greedy and unsatisfied From the wreckage the oil runs Turning the blood of the fallen thick and black Quiet is the pulse of the driven Freedom is not levity, but the untold fight of the knowing A force understood only by those who possess it Dare to look up Dare to breathe To trust the hopeful and stack your spine No need to call to the willing, they are already at your side No need to call them brothers, they already share your fire The crushing allure of pure acceleration Chase it down Chase it down" Produced, Directed and Edited : Cale Glendening Prose Writer : Chloé Mclennan Cast : Art Arcinas, Jiimmy Pruitt, Josh Orr, Caleb Owens, JT Daly, Paul Moak, Patrick Ryan, Robert Longhurst, Nick Georgiou, Tori Townsend, Vijay Upadhyaya, Rachel Haag, Yve Assad, Pap Shirock, Will Fulford, Cassie Locante, Allison Rusche, Jenna Lane, Blake Williams Director of Photography : Cale Glendening Original Music : JT Daly Sound Design & Final Mix : Defacto Sound 1st AD : Will Fulford 1st AC : Andrew White Color : John Carrington Narrator : Jeffrey Buckner Ford Music “The Blackest Bird” Performed by JT Daly & The Blood Orchestra The Blood Orchestra Is : Avery Bright, Zach Casebolt, Katelyn Westergard : Violins Emily Kohavi : Viola Austin Hoke & Emily Nelson : Cello and members of RAM Audio Engineers : Justin March, Devin Vaughan, Zack Zink Mixed By : Paul Moak at The Smoakstack (Nashville, TN) Post Production Supervisor : Chloé Mclennan BTS Photography : Yve Assad, Andrew White Rentals : TVC Nashville, ELITE Multimedia Special Thanks : Blackbirds Motorcycle Assembly Austin Mann, Jordan Bellamy, Moto Moda, Barista Parlor, The Fuselage, The Fort