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#Post#: 17688--------------------------------------------------
Pixar’s 22 Rules of Storytelling
By: Mac Date: March 15, 2013, 6:12 pm
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[glow=yellow,2,300]Pixar’s 22 Rules of Storytelling[/glow]
These rules were originally tweeted by Emma Coates, Pixar’s
Story Artist. Number 9 on the list - When you’re stuck, make a
list of what wouldn’t happen next – is a great one and can apply
to writers in all genres.
[list type=decimal]
[li] You admire a character for trying more than for their
successes.
[/li]
[li] 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 very
different.
[/li]
[li] 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.
[/li]
[li]Once upon a time there was ___. Every day, ___. One day
___. Because of that, ___. Because of that, ___. Until finally
___.
[/li]
[li]Simplify. Focus. Combine characters. Hop over detours.
You’ll feel like you’re losing valuable stuff but it sets you
free.
[/li]
[li] What is your character good at, comfortable with? Throw
the polar opposite at them. Challenge them. How do they deal?
[/li]
[li]Come up with your ending before you figure out your
middle. Seriously. Endings are hard, get yours working up front.
[/li]
[li]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.
[/li]
[li] 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.
[/li]
[li] 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.
[/li]
[li]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.
[/li]
[li]Discount the 1st thing that comes to mind. And the 2nd,
3rd, 4th, 5th – get the obvious out of the way. Surprise
yourself.
[/li]
[li]Give your characters opinions. Passive/malleable might
seem likable to you as you write, but it’s poison to the
audience.
[/li]
[li]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.
[/li]
[li]If you were your character, in this situation, how would
you feel? Honesty lends credibility to unbelievable situations.
[/li]
[li]What are the stakes? Give us reason to root for the
character. What happens if they don’t succeed? Stack the odds
against.
[/li]
[li]No work is ever wasted. If it’s not working, let go and
move on – it’ll come back around to be useful later.
[/li]
[li]You have to know yourself: the difference between doing
your best & fussing. Story is testing, not refining.
[/li]
[li]Coincidences to get characters into trouble are great;
coincidences to get them out of it are cheating.
[/li]
[li]Exercise: take the building blocks of a movie you
dislike. How d’you rearrange them into what you DO like?
[/li]
[li] You gotta identify with your situation/characters, can’t
just write ‘cool’. What would make YOU act that way?
[/li]
[li] What’s the essence of your story? Most economical
telling of it? If you know that, you can build out from
there.[/li]
[/list]
#Post#: 17698--------------------------------------------------
Re: Pixar’s 22 Rules of Storytelling
By: Chiprocks1 Date: March 15, 2013, 7:24 pm
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This is fantastic! Is this new or has it been floating around
Cyberspace for awhile? I've never seen this Pixar List before,
till your post.
#Post#: 17699--------------------------------------------------
Re: Pixar’s 22 Rules of Storytelling
By: Mac Date: March 15, 2013, 7:36 pm
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I saw it last week. Don't know how long it been out there.
#Post#: 17728--------------------------------------------------
Re: Pixar’s 22 Rules of Storytelling
By: Neumatic Date: March 16, 2013, 9:33 am
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I can do that "list of things that will never happen" for other
stories (as I may have demonstrated), but oddly enough not my
own.
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