Should I "tell a story" in my SOP?

[scientific]

Background: graduated 2 years ago from a top 50 US school in chemistry; 83-93 percentiles in GRE (differs for each section), lots of research, international experience, two good LoRs, but poor GPA w/ lots of questionable gaps (sub 3.3/4.0). An adviser recommended that with my writing skills (received a 5 on the writing section in GRE), I should focus on writing a strong SOP. 

Intended field/Degree: Physical chemistry, PhD

So I don't intend to tell an actual story like "once upon a time, a young undergrad..." ; I mean it in "the sense of the flow." I know there's a lot of back-and-forth about whether or not to include explanations for questionable portions of GPAs, so I was thinking about essentially writing about how I got into my field (essentially as an uncertain and indecisive, unfocused but curious and ambitious undergrad), what lead me to take the actions I did (take on research, do research abroad, change research groups... basically how my indecisiveness lead me to explore different fields) and finally how those experiences  and maturity (research abroad; extracurricular activities; work and volunteer) both during and after my undergrad career have shaped both who I am and the strongest traits I have (flexibility/adaptability to almost anything, hard-working attitude, critical-thinking, motivation for the field I've chosen).

 

Based on some of the SoPs I've seen, this doesn't really seem to be the standard...The ones I've read are people who did well talking about why they did well and doing better. Obviously, since I did not do that well in my undergrad, I can't write that essay.  I'm especially hesitant because obviously I will be discussing some weak traits I had in my undergrad. I'm hoping that this will perhaps touch upon or explain some of the weaker aspects of my grades, without directly addressing them. 

Should I stick with talking about my strengths and the motivations, and ignore the reasoning behind them? Will adcomms even care about how I matured into a stronger candidate, or do they just want to know that I did? 

thanks all!

[Chai_latte]

If you have a few not-so-hot grades, you should definitely "touch upon/explain some of the weaker aspects...without directly addressing them".  Adcoms (chemistry faculty) will be interested in hearing about your growth as a chemist.  If you talk exclusively about your strengths (the way a candidate with a 3.9 would), you appear to lack self-awareness.  If you dwell on your weaknesses, you can't effectively sell yourself and your accomplishments.  So, find that middle ground.  Good luck!

Oh, but don't forget to emphasize "fit" (e.g. profs whose research interests you, how your previous research experience complements a couple of projects).  Decisions can hinge on fit.  You might want to contact a couple of profs as well.