A film or book can be a hit for many reasons—timing, new technology, hip language. But only one thing makes a classic—a good story that speaks to the truth of being human. This is not invisible ink; it is clear to see for anyone who bothers to look.

Respect your audience. It’s not their job to “get it”; it’s your job to communicate it to them. Understand that you are only as good as you are today, and don’t beat yourself up. You’ll get better.

One thing I have noticed about people who are exceptional in their creative work is that they are always trying to get better. That’s how they got good in the first place. These people judge themselves against their best work. They aim for the top. Just worry about the craft, and the art will take care of itself.

If someone loses interest in your story, it is worth finding out where this happens.

If someone doesn’t understand what is going on in your story, that is worth listening to.

If you hear the same critique from three or more people, listen to it. But keep in mind that they might be describing the symptom rather than the disease.

So how do you sift through all of this and get to the helpful stuff? You must learn to hear what they mean, not what they say. Listen to the music, not the lyrics.

We know how strange and unusual it is to have headlights float up instead of going around a car. We feel that Jeff Goldblum is in real trouble with the T. Rex because his plan doesn’t work as it should. This form of invisible ink is often ignored by inexperienced story-crafters. They will often jump right to the third little pig, expecting the

Even frightening experiences in our own lives can be funny in the retelling because we have a superior position over our past selves. We know that everything turned out okay.