Prawnus
149866
12573
201
Pixar's 22 rules of storytelling
Jul 4, 2016 3:09 AM
Prawnus
149866
12573
201
wolfy123
Making me count the paragraphs to comment... Jeez
DaGingerBeard
.
GenericImgurianDragon
Oh boy, how to fix Sharknado...
scotsberto
Tl;dr
Jonnis
This is great and all, but there are 20 fucking rules and the rule mentioned is fucking rule 8 not fucking rule 9
jqdao3
Rule 0: before all else, Kill the parents
MrPredator
It's rough when you go through 9 re-writes and it still doesn't sound right, having no pre-reader/proof-reader to help out.
phrobias
Obviously, this guy has no clue what he's talking about. Rookie.
Acciopower
GRR Martin should read these.
KillahQueen
That's first rule is why I love shit like DBZ and My Hero Academia
taco91
Hopefully this will help me out write a script based on a sci fi story that I have in mind.
NeverTrustAWombat
So why does Cars 2 exist?
TheGreatAku
If only they had put some more of this into The Good Dinosaur.
dannne
"If a scen doesn't add to the story it should be in the movie" is a common thing that Hollywood haven't learned.
KarmicToast
And then Emma Coates went on to write Demi Lovato's Path to Fame on the App Store. True story.
ACheapskateFaery
remember to read this
W1ndBear
If only David Cage had seen this......
CrispyBit
B-but... EMOTIONS!
the4getful
Story here, can confirm
u2bist
Until you learn to master your rage, your rage will become your master, probably.
ifrybaconnaked
We're all too busy doing re-writes that we can't comment...
secretoaster
24th version... I'm about to burn this house down.
Chixiepixie
I actually did print my last out just to set it on fire....
amoebasUNITE
We don't need no water, let the mother HEE-AH!- burn
lospaturno
1) assume that the average audience are idiots. Then that they have sons.
AssamLaksa
Kinda sounds like life lessons to me too.
CaroChel42
Am I the only one seeing just 20 rules here? And the rule 9 mentioned in the intro is #8 in this list.
Ashabud
Why could I only think of Zootopia and refer to it as an example of most things on the list. Did this happen to anyone else?
peopleperson
Because it's the last animated feature you saw?
Ashabud
True true
Ashabud
Actually not true, the last one I saw was Finding Dory, then a again that was a few days ago, and I enjoyed Zootopia more.
ThermiteKitten
Zootopia was the best movie of the year so far.
camdenro
A good one is: never use coincidence to get a character out of a conflict. Only to get them into one.
ortega7115
Think about this; what is the most exciting thing that can happen, on TV, or in movies, or in real life? 1/2
ortega7115
Somebody has a gun. [gasps] That's why I always start with a gun, because you can't top it, you just can't. 2/2
LadyYmir
Always starting with the same thing to make a great story? Take a Lighthouse, a man and a city
SillySeal
I have a typewriter because my fiance man thing got me one and I thought "hey you're gonna write" and I haven't and now I'm sad.
saltysparkles
Shadania
Time to get to it, you silly seal platypus. If you've got time to hang around on Imgur you have the time to write something!
ironraves
You don't have to write anything important, just go have fun punching keys that make that clicking sound.
u2bist
Having a typewriter is never a good reason to become a writer.
SillySeal
It's not the reason I am a writer, it was meant to boost my enthusiasm and creativity, I've been writing for 12 yrs now. Been having blocks.
u2bist
That's a long time to be having blocks. Good luck with getting unblocked.
SillySeal
I haven't had blocks the full 12 years, only the past 3, been busy with my job and tired and uninspired. If you get what I mean.
Burke616
Good stories come from demons. If your job sucks, take everything you hate about it and bind it to the page with chains of ink and blood.
Cream314
Favourited even though I have no intention of writing a story. Might come in handy for sexting.
nakedangel
Ahahaha! Nice one.
Burke616
If there's no narrative thread in your sexting, then you need to up your game.
mwoodman
Cool.
ShiningNavi
.
CanonInTheStreetsFanonInTheSheets
Might come in handy for roleplaying.
BaboonSamurai
Sex Toy Story V, I'll show myself out.
sjm127
Well I hear you admire a character more for trying than their successes.
OutLaw2583
Perfect +1
Pinodickbutt
Once upon a time there was my dick. Every day I jerked off. One day you called me. Because of that I was horny. Because of that I began 1/2
Pinodickbutt
Masturbating. Until finally... I came *orgasm noises*. *voice on other side of the line* I'm sorry sir, do I know you? 2/2
yuloforce
The best thing in the world for sexting is taking poetry lessons. Seriously
yuloforce
It goes from "I want you to sit on my dick" to "I want to watch the light reflect off your eyes as we make love in the pale moonlight"
RogueAndPeasantSlave
The ending becomes pretty easy to write then.
blackwidowsideboob
Crying?
AugustusMcCrae
You would think, but I enjoy the surprise endings ie we all get dismembered by massive tornado spiders. Why can't I find sexting partners???
Acefowl
Y'know, I was gonna go with sharknados myself. Good job thinking outside the box!
MarkSoupial
My favorite rule is: "Is this the most interesting part of your main character's life? If not, why aren't you writing about that part?"
OphelianAshe
Because they already made Last Crusade
Cessepool
Because they're a mass murdering psyco path with split personalities and a hankering for torture and anarchy. So no waffle loving for them.
Corrosion
Is a psycho path a paving slab with an axe?
foxisaac
because its the fourth sequel
TheMightyDio
Man, I can't wait for Assassin Avenger of Duty 7!! They haven't even released the fourth one and they've already announced it!!
foxisaac
7 HA, ass creed has like 30 games, COD like 20
JokeDestroyer
I saw trailers for 11-2 last year, the sequel to the eleventh one in the series.
user82650
Because I want a character that people can relate to and has a backstory?
ThermiteKitten
Then the rule would prompt you to show that backstory at least in part e.g. The Incredibles' flashbacks, the first few minutes of Up.
TheMightyDio
No, he means the story should revolve around it. No one wants to hear about Bruce Wayne in his retirement home.
flowseeker
I would totally read that.
shmekie
Because you've already seen the fun parts a hundred times
panowca
My favourite rule is: "You can't sum up storytelling in few sentences". Because there's literally thousands of variables. Rule you quoted
idiotcube
Well, it doesn't TELL you not to write about other parts of the character's life. It asks you why. If you have a good reason, go ahead.
koflan
This may cone as a shock, but these are ideas and guidelines to help you. The writer isn't trying to quantify storytelling.
panowca
sums up everything wrong with following those rules. Take 3 writers. Joyce, Hemingway and Salvatore. Their writing is NOTHING alike, yet
busdriverdan
These are guidelines to assist your writing not laws to obey. In writing, the rules are there for you to break them.
panowca
they all are either highly acclaimed, top selling or both. Why Joyce wrote about least interesting parts? Because he was this sort of genius
ThePsychicZombie
I disagree with the coincidences one. I fucking hate when a story's conflict starts because of some stupid coincidence.
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ThePsychicZombie
I consider coincidence to be a story telling device. And as with any story telling device, there's a time and a place where it's appropriate
kojenk
it still needs to be done with some finesse and build up.
YurtSniffer
If you dont like coincidences, have a character make a fucked up decision, usually out of desperation/love or just saying "screw it"
SteveBuscemiSayingHowDoYouDoFellowKids
That makes me hate the character tho
furrykef
So do crazy coincidences just not happen on your planet or something?
thisduderighthere
Plenty of things that happen on my planet would not make good story beats.
ThePsychicZombie
Realistic != good story.
furrykef
A good story is how a character handles his circumstances. How he got there isn't that important.
Chronomechanist
The main point there was the alternative should not happen though. Deus Ex Machina can really kill a story.
u2bist
That's true if it's too obvious, but every action movie is full of chance events that would have killed the heroes if they had gone wrong.
Chronomechanist
That's true but Deus Ex Machina is a very specific and subtly different mechanism in writing.
ThePsychicZombie
I agree. And my point is that whether it solves or creates the conflict, it's annoying.
AlkeneThiol
So many scifi writers still do this, even established ones. It makes me so sad
ThePsychicZombie
*cough* Doctor Who *cough*
AlkeneThiol
Oh god scifi on television is even worse than books by far. The Doctor is a walking DEM though.
LordDenmark
So yo hate how Frodo gets to take Sam with him...?
ArgonBorn
I do.
ThePsychicZombie
Is Sam going with Frodo part of the conflict? It's a part of the story. Coincidences are a story telling device. I don't think it should be
ThePsychicZombie
used to solve OR create CONFLICT.
peopleperson
Shit happens man.
ThePsychicZombie
Still not a good storytelling device.
peopleperson
I disagree.