Pixar's Rules of Storytelling

The classic four-man adventuring party (plus baby)

These storytelling tools from Pixar represent the kind of narrative techniques I encourage when I run games. Follow these principles to give your players something to care strongly about, or give yourself a boost of inspiration if you are a player yourself.

(Although the part about planning your story's ending does require some flexibility when it comes to cooperative storytelling.)

HIGHLIGHTS:

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

#2: [DM advice] 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.

#5: Simplify. Focus. Combine characters. Hop over detours. 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 polar opposite at them. Challenge them. How do they deal?

#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.

#11: Putting it on paper lets you start fixing it. If it stays in your head, a perfect idea, you'll never share it with anyone. [In the case of gaming, this means share it with the group. don't sit on an idea waiting for the perfect moment. More good ideas will come, but you need to use it or lose it.]

#12: Discount the 1st thing that 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. (How does your character feel about something? 'I dunno' isn't a real answer)

#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.

#16: What are the stakes? Give us reason to root for the character. What happens if they don't succeed? Stack the odds against them.

#17: No work is ever wasted. If it's not working, let go and move on - it'll come back around to be useful later.

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

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

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