A good story is one that touches people in some way.
- A really good story has a sense of truth and resonates with some basic universal aspects of being human.
- It doesn't have to be profound, but a good story should move the listener, make him/her laugh, think, and ponder it afterward.
- If the skeletal structure is strong and it fits snugly, chances are you have a good story.
- Sometimes the story has lots of pieces, but no deep truth running through it -no backbone or substance.
- Strong stories usually have a well-defined main character that encounters some kind of trouble (conflict).
- It is the believable action moving the story from beginning to middle to end that keeps the audience entranced. They want to know what's going to happen.
- We want the readers to imagine their own images that relate to them and their experiences as the story unfolds.
- If our stories help the listener to think of his/her own stories, we have succeeded in igniting a storytelling spark.
- A wimpy story is one that points toward something very obvious, that doesn't have resonance inside, that doesn't provide an experience.
I'd also suggest keeping in mind the emotional arc. A story is a relationship: when the emotion is done, it's over - whether or not the plot has been resolved.
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