In a recent article over at copyblogger.com by Sean D’Souza he takes us through the three critical components of great stories by telling drawing a parallel to a Disney classic.  In my rendition I’ll convert his story of Cinderalla to the Lion King…because that is my favorite, and this is my post.

1.  The Sequence:

We’ve got Simba who’s the heir of to the throne at Pride Rock that runs into trouble when he faces his Uncle Scar’s quest to make the throne his own.  Simba is manipulated by Scar into thinking he is responsible for the tragic death of his Father and King, Mufasa.

There’s a sequence of events that are critical to building the drama needed in a good story.

2. The Suspense:

Simba runs away to avoid facing his Father’s untimely death.  He learns a new way of life and makes some entertaining friends along the way.  Meanwhile things take a turn for the worse when Scar unleashes his accomplices – the hyena’s on the fertile grounds surrounding Pride Rock.

Will Simba ever head back to face his past?  Who is this Nala character and why do I like her so much?  Does Simba get the girl?  All suspense.

3.  The roller coaster:

Highs and lows allow you to show the contrast and let the audience dig into the fact that this story really is worthwhile.  It keeps them on the edge of their seats waiting for the resolution.

So why is this kind of story telling critical?  Two reasons:

1. Most writers are unable to capture the elements of the story.

According to D’Souza, “Even if they get the sequence right, they rarely build in the suspense or the roller coaster.  That’s because they aren’t aware of these elements, or just don’t know how to go about it.”

2.  Most articles are almost always how-to or reporter like.

Stories are just more interesting and will naturally pique the reader’s interest more than reports.

The classic stories, Disney or otherwise, constantly bring people back time and time again when they already know the ending.  Now you know why.  With a little bit of practice you can implement this three step approach.  Or at a minimum give some thought to why you love your favorite Disney cartoon so much.