All good stories (…) should give you a promise. [to be fulfilled]
Make the audience put things together. Don’t give them four, give them two plus two. [“The Unifying Theory of 2 + 2”]
Storytelling has guidelines, not hard, fast rules.
A strong theme is always running through well told story.
The best stories infuse wonder.
(via Andrew Stanton: The clues to a great story | Video on TED.com)