Storytelling is one of the most powerful skills you can learn as a writer.

Below, you'll find 12 storytelling principles you can use to craft a captivating story.

(Inspired by Andrew Stanton, the writer and filmmaker behind Toy Story, WALL-E and Finding Nemo)

1/ Great stories make you care.

They involve you both emotionally and intellectually.

They make you take sides.

2/ Great stories begin by making you a promise.

They hook you up and pull you into it.

They're unescapable.

3/ Great stories are cohesive.

All their parts are connected and lead to a singular goal.

They have a running, unifying theme.

4/ Great stories confirm a deep, timeless truth about who we are as humans.

They break time and geographic barriers.

They're universal.

5/ Great stories confirm a deep, timeless truth about who we are as humans.

They break time and geographic barriers.

They're universal.

6/ Great stories make you put things together and work for your meal (without you knowing, of course).

They show you "2+2" instead of "4".

7/ Great stories are unpredictable.

They tease you.

They surprise you.

8/ Great stories have an obsessive, driven or determined character.

A character that, often unconsciously, strives to accomplish a goal regardless of the price they have to pay.

9/ Great stories resemble real life.

They're constantly changing and evolving.

They're never static.

10/ Great stories are always creating anticipation.

They make you want to know what's going to happen next, but also how it all is going to end.

11/ Great stories infuse wonder.

They highlight ordinary things we take for granted, and make them feel special and magical.

12/ Great stories are personal.

They are born from experience.

They're complex and full of nuance.

They represent core, individual values.

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