22 Rules of Storytelling a la Pixar

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22 Rules of Storytelling a la Pixar

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Postby Gob Hobblin » Sun Oct 25, 2015 5:36 pm

Emma Coats, who did some work with Pixar on Brave and Monsters University, assembled a really cool list of story writing nuggets that I thought would be nice to post up here for anyone needing some help in getting a fic off the ground:

#1: You admire a character for trying more than for their successes.

#2: You gotta keep in mind what's interesting to you as an audience, not what's fun to do as a writer. They can be v. different.

#3: Trying for theme is important, but you won't see what the story is actually about til you're at the end of it. Now rewrite.

#4: Once upon a time there was ___. Every day, ___. One day ___. Because of that, ___. Because of that, ___. Until finally ___.

#5: Simplify. Focus. Combine characters. Hop over detours. You'll feel like you're losing valuable stuff but it sets you free.

#6: What is your character good at, comfortable with? Throw the polar opposite at them. Challenge them. How do they deal?

#7: Come up with your ending before you figure out your middle. Seriously. Endings are hard, get yours working up front.

#8: Finish your story, let go even if it's not perfect. In an ideal world you have both, but move on. Do better next time.

#9: When you're stuck, make a list of what WOULDN'T happen next. Lots of times the material to get you unstuck will show up.

#10: Pull apart the stories you like. What you like in them is a part of you; you've got to recognize it before you can use it.

#11: Putting it on paper lets you start fixing it. If it stays in your head, a perfect idea, you'll never share it with anyone.

#12: Discount the 1st thing that comes to mind. And the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th – get the obvious out of the way. Surprise yourself.

#13: Give your characters opinions. Passive/malleable might seem likable to you as you write, but it's poison to the audience.

#14: Why must you tell THIS story? What's the belief burning within you that your story feeds off of? That's the heart of it.

#15: If you were your character, in this situation, how would you feel? Honesty lends credibility to unbelievable situations.

#16: What are the stakes? Give us reason to root for the character. What happens if they don't succeed? Stack the odds against.

#17: No work is ever wasted. If it's not working, let go and move on - it'll come back around to be useful later.

#18: You have to know yourself: the difference between doing your best & fussing. Story is testing, not refining.

#19: Coincidences to get characters into trouble are great; coincidences to get them out of it are cheating.

#20: Exercise: take the building blocks of a movie you dislike. How d'you rearrange them into what you DO like?

#21: You gotta identify with your situation/characters, can't just write ‘cool'. What would make YOU act that way?

#22: What's the essence of your story? Most economical telling of it? If you know that, you can build out from there.
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Postby Sgt. Griff » Mon Oct 26, 2015 4:16 am

Great rules to build off of for anybody, writing lists about what wouldnt happen next is fantastic. If I were to add to that to give more connection to the written medium than the visual, it'd be the saying "amateurs borrow, professionals steal." Referencing and emulating is a skill as old as writing itself (cf Epic Poetry), and as with all arts copying someone else's, ironically, is a great way to find an individual style.
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Postby BobBQ » Mon Oct 26, 2015 11:44 am

I think I like Vonnegut's rules better.

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Postby Nuclear Lunchbox » Mon Oct 26, 2015 2:34 pm

Vonnegut is one of my favorite authors. Even the way he wrote that list is fantastic (and the rules contained within aren't half-bad either!)


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