“22 story basics from Pixar”: #10–13

By now I’m pretty sure nearly everyone has seen this list — “22 storybasics I’ve picked up in my time at Pixar” — aggregated by Emma Coats, a storyboard artist at the studio. As opposed to just printing them out, tacking them up, then forgetting about them, I thought we could break down the list and analyze it this week in the hope that some of these insights might actually stick with us. So each day let’s look at 4–5 of these concepts about narrative.

#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.

I have lots of thoughts about this list, but in lieu of my pontificating, let’s hear from you first. Which ones of these hit home the most with you? Why? What takeaway do you get from these ideas?

Tomorrow: More story basics from Pixar.

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