Story structure: because + but + therefore, no conflict, no story

Once a stay-at-home mother sent a text message to the famous investor Xu Xiaoping when she was looking for financing to start a business.

First sentence: I graduated from Peking University.

Second sentence: Now I am opening a Taobao store, and the sales volume of the Taobao store is already 30 million.

The third sentence: But I am confused. You are a spiritual mentor. Can you enlighten me?

As a result, Teacher Xu called the phone 3 minutes after seeing this text message. They made an appointment to meet that afternoon, and after talking for four hours, Xu Xiaoping planned to invest in her. This stay-at-home mother is Liu Nan, the founder of the e-commerce platform Miya. After five rounds of financing, the company now has a valuation of 10 billion yuan.

If her text message said this: "Hello, Teacher Xu Xiaoping! My name is Liu Nan. I graduated from Peking University. My entrepreneurial sales reached 30 million. I want to seek financing. Can you meet me?" "You?" Do you think it would have the same effect? Teacher Xu Xiaoping probably deleted it after reading it.

Only "because" + "so" is not a story - because I want to raise funds (goal), so I want to meet you (result), this can only be regarded as a narrative. So what is a story? Add a "but" between "because" and "so" and it becomes a story! This "but" is the necessary twist, conflict, and contradiction in the story. No conflict, no story. In these three short sentences, there are three "conflicts".

How did a Peking University graduate open a Taobao store? Teacher Xu must be a little curious after reading it. This is the first conflict. The sales volume is already 30 million, how can you actually achieve such results? Teacher Xu Xiaoping must have become more curious after seeing this. Then "But I'm confused." You've already made 30 million dollars and you're still confused? This is the third conflict. Finally, I will treat Teacher Xu as my spiritual mentor. Teacher Xu will definitely be elated when he hears it!

These three sentences are actually the simplest story structure, called - because + but + therefore.

Because I have a goal

But I encountered an obstacle in pursuing my goal

So what did I do/want to do to overcome this obstacle?

All the intentions of the story, that is, the "purpose" we mentioned before, are reflected through this "but". It is this "but" that can arouse the curiosity of the audience the most, and they want to ask "why" and "what happened next". When they have endless curiosity in their hearts, it is difficult not to give you their attention.