Write2Ignite

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. in Pixar’s 22 Rules of Storytelling Part 3, I’ll cover rules 11-16. Let’s get started!

11. Why must you tell this story in particular? What’s the belief burning within you that your story feeds off of? That’s the heart of it.

            As Christian children’s authors, we may think we know what belief is burning within us to tell, but do we really know? Can we confidently say, “This story is about the importance of face-to-face interactions among friends in this digitized world?” Or “This is a lighthearted cautionary tale of the dangers of underage internet use?” The heart of the story isn’t always the sweet parts, but the part that you want the reader to walk away thinking about.

12. Discount the 1^st thing that comes to mind. And the 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th, 5^th—get the obvious out of the way. Surprise yourself.

            Want to hear a terrible joke? “A man walks into a coffee shop and orders a coffee.” Get it? No? It’s not funny because it is expected. Comedy is about the unexpected.

“A man walks into a coffee shop and orders a coffee. The coffee says, ‘Hey, you can’t order me around!’”

            Okay, so that’s a terrible joke as well, but for a different reason. This rule doesn’t mean that you have to make your story absurd and illogical. What it does mean, is that you must avoid the cliches and the obvious. In my WIP Pirated! You expect some kids who illegally download a movie from the internet to get in trouble with their parents. You DON’T expect that illegally downloaded movie to actually be a file that 3-D prints a walking, talking, character from the movie! Surprise yourself, and your reader with the 6^th, 7^th, or even 23^rd idea that comes to mind.

13. Give your characters opinions. A character being passive or malleable is easy for you as a writer, but it’s poison to your audience.

            I used to think that conflict was uncomfortable. I don’t like it in real life, why would I like to write about it? But have you ever told someone a story about your day where there was no conflict? Crickets.

“I lost my keys the other day.”

            “Oh no! How did you get inside your car?”

            “I didn’t. I remembered I don’t have a car, so I took the bus instead.”

            Stories without conflict are those awkward moments at parties where nothing interesting is happening. If you tune out in real life, why would someone else read about that in your book? This rule of giving characters opinions is all about creating conflict. We meet people all the time who have opinions that are terrible. How could this person think this way? What is wrong with them? A butcher and a vegan on a deserted island would make some pretty interesting conflict, and keep your audience entertained. This is the magic between Lightning McQueen and Mater. Boy, those two cars have very different opinions, and it makes their friendship all the more engaging.

14. What’s the essence of your story? What’s the most economical way of telling of it? If you know that, you can build out from there.

            When I was taking a creative writing class at my local community college, we were tasked with writing a short story. Instead of coming up with a new idea, I looked at my old novel ideas (I had dozens of them) and decided to compact my novel idea into a short story. And guess what? That short story won the President Writing Award for best short story! Not because I was thinking of how to tell a small story, but how to tell a big story, in as compact of a way is possible. I boiled down my idea to the just the essence.

15. If you were your character, in this situation, how would you feel? Honesty lends credibility to unbelievable situations.

            This is why I switched to 1^st person narration and will likely never look back. I do not have the multiple personality disorders to head-hop. If I make my character me, then I can write from an honest perspective that makes my viewpoint unique. It also allows me to be slightly unreliable as a narrator, which means I can write other characters not exactly how they are, but how I perceive them. But you have to be honest about yourself. Your book version might be a little too heroic to be authentically you. I know in my head I am much cooler, and braver than in real life. So sometimes, my character has to stop before he leaps from one building to the next and realize “Oh my goodness! I am on a rooftop! I don’t even like being four steps up a ladder!” And the villain escapes, and my character hurries down the stairs as quickly as he can.

16. What are the stakes? Give us reason to root for the character. What happens if he doesn’t succeed? Stack the odds against him.

            Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy is an incredibly problematic film. I have a love-hate relationship with it. But one line that is absolutely brilliant, is when the main character is asked why he wants to save the galaxy. His reply? “Because I’m one of the idiots who lives in it!” For the longest time, my book ideas were filled with complex plots with subplots and sub-subplots. I thought you needed plot to make a good story, but it just isn’t true. The stakes have to be rooted in character. Have you ever read a book, watched an episode of television, or a movie where the character thought they wanted one thing, only to learn that what they really wanted was something else? Lightning McQueen giving up the Piston Cup? This is because the stakes are about character, not the plot.

            Stacking the odds against the character is another brilliant move. Don’t have just one obstacle for the character to get through. Make it everything. Make this situation a do-or-die kind of situation. It might not be a physical death, but it could be the death of the life he once lived. We want to see our hero win. But we want him to barely win. Luke 15:7 comes to mind here. There is more satisfaction when a hero overcomes all the obstacles than if it was obvious from the beginning that the hero was always going to win. Make the victory close. Make it seem impossible.

            Next month, I will finish this series. by taking on rules 17-22. In the meantime, what was your favorite rule in this blog post? Let me know in the comments!

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..