As a writer and pr guy I’ve worked on developing stories for a lot of people. Some of those stories have been great, some not so great: all for different reasons.
Trying to find a ‘universal truth’ in what makes a story great is pretty tough. But in an effort to keep it simple, I try to focus on three things:
A great story is always credible. There is always truth in there. It takes some digging to find those truths. But it’s worth it. Without uncovering and communicating truths, a story can never be great.
A great story is affective. We are all human. Believing that the story matters to us as individuals is essential. If the story doesn’t move us in some way, emotionally or intellectually, it can’t be great.
A great story has reach. There simply is no story without an audience. Tell your story using channels your audience use, and your story starts to live.
It’s not perfect, but it’s a nice little check.
