One of my favorite stories in Discover Your Inner Economist by Tyler Cowen:
During one riot in Michigan, one woman sold stones to rioters. . . . Small stones went for $1, larger stones brought in $5 a piece. Most of the rocks were thrown at police. . . . The woman claimed that she collected about $70 from her efforts, but she stopped when she was hit by a rock herself.
A perfect illustration of the title of this post.
What makes a good story? Perhaps 1. Hero. 2. Villain. 3. Struggle. 4. Details. 5. Humor. 6. Message. 7. Goodness is rewarded or sin is punished. 8. Truth (it actually happened). The rock story has six of these.
Two others (which this story includes) are:
7. Surprise
8. An ending that reveals a fundamental truth, ideally one that isn’t obvious from the outset. “What goes around comes around.”
Yes, I agree about your #7. Your #8 is my #6.