Write2Ignite

It’s the final installment! If you have ever researched rules in storytelling, you may have come across the famous Pixar’s 22 Rules of Storytelling. This came from a 2011 tweet from a Pixar employee who realized there were 22 written (and unwritten) rules they implemented on every story. While Industrial Scripts does a pretty good job of explaining the rules, I thought it would be fun to expand on them here in regards to books. After all, while there are many books made from their stories, Pixar makes movies. In part 1, I discussed rules 1-5. In part 2, I covered rules 6-10, and in part 3, I examined rules 11-16. Now, in the final installment: Pixar’s 22 Rules of Storytelling Part 4, I’ll finish with rules 17-22. Let’s get started!

#17: No work is ever wasted. And if it’s not working, let go and move on—if it’s useful, it’ll show up again.

I have a few documents from over the years of unfinished stories. Sometimes I stop at the end of a chapter, other times I will stop mid-sentence. As a writer, you know when you’re licked, and it is time to move on. However, I cannot tell you how many times I have recycled a story idea. Something I scribbled onto a notepad years ago, turned into an award-winning short story I wrote for a college class. A scrapped outline for a steampunk mystery became a novel I co-wrote last year with ChatGPT. If you are stuck, write something else for a change. If you can’t stop thinking about it, you’ll return to it eventually.

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

This rule stumped me. In my writing journey, I have been told to get out the first drafts, so I can fix it. Refine it. So, what does this rule mean that story is testing, not refining? Recently, I gave a speech at my brother’s wedding. I made it humorous so that I wouldn’t cry, and that I wouldn’t be too nervous delivering the speech. However, I practiced the speech a few times. I read it out loud to my parents. I tested it. A story is no good if only the author reads it. Stories are meant to shared. I think this is what the rule is getting at. You can refine all you want, but you have to eventually test the story. Does it resonate with other people? If not, then all you have is a polished Word document that ends up taking space on your hard drive.

#19: Coincidences that get characters into trouble are great. Coincidences that get them out of it is cheating.

This is my favorite rule, and the most challenging. As a Christian writer, I find myself using the deus ex machina trope. I know in my own life, God has orchestrated miracles through “coincidences.” However, there are problems when we apply this idea to our writing. First of all, it can come across as unbelievable. We have all rolled our eyes at a story where everything falls into place. It can be cheesy. Second, I have also had times when God did not “swoop in and save the day” the way I wanted Him to. It can be just as dangerous to misinform children of how God answers our prayers. In this world we will have trouble. Having coincidences as a bad thing can also reflect the spiritual warfare that we as Christians endure in this life. And it just makes for a more engaging story.

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

I may or may not have illegally downloaded a movie and edited out the parts I didn’t like. If I did, then I definitely did it long enough ago that the statute of limitations has passed. But let’s say you do this with a book. Perhaps a classic book from the public domain! Edit it. Rearrange it. See how you can change the story into something that you like. I hate tragedies. Growing up, my brothers and I used to joke around about how you could rewrite tragic endings and give them happy Disney endings. But if you lean more toward the gothic side, take a happy ending, and make it a tragic ending. There is nothing more satisfying than coming up with a better ending to a story someone else wrote. Whether you do it mentally, or on paper, try it out.

#21: Identify with your situation/characters. Don’t write “cool.” What would make YOU act that way?

This is why I switched to first-person and never looked back. I am not an adventurer in real life. While I used to enjoy having courageous protagonists, they have begun to ring hollow to me. I have met courageous and confident people in real life, and frankly, they can rub me the wrong way. Write what you know? Well, I know fear, anxiety, and self-doubt. While it may not be “cool” it allows me to know exactly how my main character would act. It offers the authenticity my stories had been missing. What is your personality? Write your characters from that place.

#22: Putting it on paper only allows you to start fixing it. If a perfect idea stays in your head, you’ll never share it with anyone.

What did I tell you? Stories are meant to be shared. There are story ideas that I have had since I was fifteen. Still roaming around my head, I revisit them from time to time like sweet memories. They are perfect ideas, and if I ever try to put them onto paper, they will lose their luster. But isn’t that the case with real memories that we share? Like wine, they get better with age. This is because we begin fixing them, each time we tell them. Sometimes we stretch the truth, other times, we rearrange the information, but either way, the more times you tell a story, the better it gets. Stories are meant to be shared, and until we put them onto paper, we cannot fix their flaws.

Well, that wraps up all of Pixar’s 22 Rules of Storytelling. What is your favorite this time? How will you implement these rules into your stories? Let me know in the comments!

Author Bio

Just like his two older brothers, Kyle Morgan was homeschooled from Kindergarten through High School. When he is not busy writing, the next classic children’s book, Kyle loves spending time with his family, all things baseball, and watching black and white movies. He is a monthly contributor to Write2Ignite where he blogs about writing for children. His work has appeared in The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, The Caldwell Perspective and StarLight Magazine. You can check out his Facebook page or follow him on Instagram.