PIXAR’S 22 RULES OF STORYTELLING

《Pixar's 22 Rules of Storytelling》

#1. You admire a character for trying more than for their successes.

#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 very 
       different.

#3. Trying for theme is important, but you won't see what the story 
       is actually about till you are at the end of it. Now, rewrite.

#4.  Once upon a time there was ____. Every day, ____. One day, 
        ____. Because of that, ____. Because of that, ____. Until 
        finally ____.

#5.  Simplify. Focus. Combined characters. Hop over detour. 
       You'll feel like you're losing valuable stuff but it sets you free.

#6.  What is your character good at, comfortable with? Throw the 
        popular opposite at them. Challenge them. How do they deal.

#7. Come up with your ending before you figure out your middle. 
       Seriously. Endings are hard, get yours working up front.

#8. Finish your story, let go even it's not perfect. In an ideal world 
      you have both, but move on. Do better next time.

#9. 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.

#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 starts in your
        head, you'll never share it with anyone.

#12. Discount the 1st thing 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.

#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 latter.

#18. You have to know yourself: difference between doing your 
        best and fussing. Story is testing, not refining.

#19. Coincidences to get characters into trouble are great; 
        coincidences to get them out of it are cheating.

#20. Exercises: take the building blocks of a movie you dislike. 
        How would you rearrange them into what you DO like.

#21. You gotta identify with your situation/characters, can't just 
        write 'cool'. What would make YOU act that way.

#22. What's your essence of your story? Most economical telling 
         of it? If you know that, you can build out from that.


link: http://screencraft.org/2014/06/30/pixars-22-rules-storytelling-with-movie-stills/