“22 story basics from Pixar”: #14–18

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.

#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.

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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