Surprise the Audience

I personally find it very important to surprise the audience. If you watch a Disney movie, there are no surprises. Heroes are always in danger, but can never die. There is always some point of suspense, but we always know it will be resolved and get a picture-perfect Disney ending. No matter how well-executed the story is, it can never be surprising, which takes away from the potential power.

That does not mean that these stories aren't powerful. It means that they could be more powerful. A story that doesn't surprise must rely entirely on its execution to entertain the audience. West Side Story is just Romeo and Juliet, which is just Pyramis and Thisbe. So why don't we just read the original story and be happy? Because their execution is so fantastic. Romeo and Juliet turned a classic Greek story into a modern British tale. West Side Story turned an old British tale into a modern American story. They were both extremely relevant when they were made and were so significantly different than the predecessors that the already-known story wasn't a problem due to its magnificent execution.

However, despite execution alone being powerful, a surprising story can add even more. Make your characters make nonstandard decisions. When a character says it's too dangerous to try to save the trapped friend, have the hero agree. When the main characters only have one option and the odds are massively against them, maybe try being realistic and not having them always succeed.

Sometimes it's not just about the choices people make. Make surprising connections. Have unexpected thoughts. Not many people think of vanilla extract and consider how it represents the need for diversity in a culture, but some weirdos do just that. Those are the kinds of things that can grab attention. They are familiar enough that people don't need to look it up, but are expressed in a totally new way, forcing people to think about it.

People are constantly coming across familiar things. It basically is the definition of the mundane. If you want people to pay attention (and I'm sure you do), then surprise them. Surprise them in any way you can.