Tag Archives writing tips

Yes, I am going to make a video for each of the Pixar's 22 Rules for Storytelling (the full list can be found here). Be sure to subscribe to this channel to not miss any of the forthcoming videos. I plan to release one/week. Rule #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. This time, I’m doing something a bit different: one shot, no cuts. I figure what better way to explore the idea of moving on to new projects than to fully embrace the idea of letting go of a current one.

Yes, I am going to make a video for each of the Pixar's 22 Rules for Storytelling (the full list can be found here). Be sure to subscribe to this channel to not miss any of the forthcoming videos. I plan to release one/week. Rule #6: What is your character good at, comfortable with? Throw the polar opposite at them. Challenge them. How do they deal? Meet my cat, Burrito, which I received as a gift from my caring girlfriend (now wife). I wasn’t expecting to own a cat. I had a certain lifestyle, with a set routine, and established boundaries. How did I handle this change? Watch and find out.

Yes, I am going to make a video for each of the Pixar’s 22 Rules for Storytelling (the full list can be found here). Be sure to subscribe to this channel to not miss any of the forthcoming videos. I plan to release one/week. Rule #5: Simplify. Focus. Combine characters. Hop over detours. You’ll feel like you’re losing valuable stuff but it sets you free. There are two classic pieces of writing advice that support this storytelling rule: The first, from William Faulkner, author of The Sound and the Fury, Absalom, Absalom!, goes: “In writing, you must kill all your darlings.” meaning you must get rid of those elements of your story that serve your ego rather than the story. The second, from Anton Chekhov, author of countless stories, plays, and novellas, goes: "One must not put a loaded rifle on the stage if no one is thinking of firing it."…

Yes, I am going to make a video for each of the Pixar's 22 Rules for Storytelling (the full list can be found here). Be sure to subscribe to this channel to not miss any of the forthcoming videos. I plan to release one/week. Rule #4: Once upon a time there was ___. Every day, ___. One day ___. Because of that, ___. Because of that, ___. Until finally ___. This “rule” isn’t so much a rule as it is a template for storytelling. A simple and very effective template, I might add. The most important element of this formula, I feel, is the repetition of the “Because of that” which speaks to the importance of constantly elevating stakes. Nothing is ever stagnant in an engaging story. Even if two characters are alone in a room, or if poo can’t fart, there should always be something imminent to further complicate…

Yes, I am going to make a video for each of the Pixar’s 22 Rules for Storytelling. Be sure to subscribe to this channel to not miss any of the forthcoming videos. I plan to release one/week. Rule #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. Simply put, you are not your audience. Yes, you are a member of your audience, but an audience of one does not a paycheck make. As a storyteller, you’ve got to 1) know your audience and 2) be willing to make that audience happy. Even if that means making poop jokes for 3 minutes, which is what I do in this video, as much as it disgusts me.

Yes, I am going to make a video for each of the Pixar’s 22 Rules for Storytelling. Be sure to subscribe to this channel to not miss any of the forthcoming videos. I plan to release one/week. Rule # 1 is You admire a character for trying more than for their successes. Success is defined as a pass/fail dichotomy. There’s no gray area, meaning there’s no room for humanity. Humanity is a gray area,  constantly redefined by context.  And narrative relies on a “gray area” approach to be successful. We, as readers, rarely accept winning v. losing as a satisfying climax to a  narrative series of events. Rather, we care more about the characters that shape those series of events. Sports fans don’t just care who wins or loses; sports fans watch ESPN for hours every day to learn about the statistics and human interest stories behind their favorite teams, and…