I like this from Doc Searls.

See, stories themselves are a problem, both in human nature (we love and live stories) and in journalism, which feeds and is fed on the human appetite for stories, all of which have three elements:

1. Character—a person, country, cause, team, player, whatever, that one might have feelings about (love, hate, anything but disinterest or indifference)
2. Problem—a situation that causes or is comprised of conflict or struggle
3. Movement—whether forward, backward, or sideways, it must maintain interest and at least hint toward a conclusion, even if one never comes