Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Pixar's 22 Rules for Phenomenal Storytelling

A good story is the start of a lot of entertainment. From the campfire and the classroom, to the movies and books, it still holds true that you have to have a good story to hold an audience. Now you can sample the wisdom of one of the great animated picture making companies--Pixar. Ther list of 22 Rules is from Emma Coats, a Pixar storyboard artist, who tweeted them last summer. Check out this cool graphic version HERE.

And for you who want to keep this piece of inspiration around all the time, Etsy has a poster version you can buy.

Some of them really resonate for me.
 
#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.
 
#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.
 
#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.
 
#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.
 
Do you see a pattern here? ; ) I keep telling myself the goal must be, finish the book, THEN worry about the small stuff.
 
Follow the link and let me know which rule resonates for you?

6 comments:

  1. I'm a big fan of rule 8: Finish the story and let it go. It's all too easy to keep working to try to make it 'perfect,' which is a state that cannot be achieved. Better to be finished and imperfect than unfinished and perfect, at least to my mind. :)

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  2. Replies
    1. Oh, yes! That's a biggie, too.
      I just need to face it, I need all of these. ; )

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  3. I love #17! makes me feel good on days when I do other writing-related stuff besides editing...

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    Replies
    1. Yes! That's another good thing about this list. It gives us a way to keep from chewing ourselves up when the day is sluggish. ; )

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