Friday, June 8, 2012


Pixar storyboard artist Emma Coats has compiled nuggets of narrative wisdom she's received working for the animation studio over the years. It's some sage stuff, although there's nothing here about defending yourself from your childhood toys when they inevitably come to life with murder in their hearts. A truly glaring omission.
#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 v. different.
#3: Trying for theme is important, but you won't see what the story is actually about til you're 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. 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?
#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 if 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 stays in your head, a perfect idea, you'll never share it with anyone.
#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.
#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 later.
#18: You have to know yourself: the difference between doing your best & 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: Exercise: take the building blocks of a movie you dislike. How d'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 the essence of your story? Most economical telling of it? If you know that, you can build out from there.
Ten of the most common traits 
shared by successful people are:

1. They work hard. Successful 
people are willing to work as hard 
as necessary to succeed.

There is no such thing as easy 
money and they know that. They 
willingly put in however many 
hours it takes to succeed.

2. They have integrity. They are 
honest in all their dealings 
because they know that dishonest 
people might get the first sale 
but they will get the rest. 
Honesty does pay.

3. They keep on keeping on. 
Successful people outlast the
competition. Because someone quit, 
there are a lot of success stories 
that will never be written.

4. They are friendly. Because 
people like them,successful people 
are able to lead others and get a 
task accomplished efficiently and
effectively.

5. They keep learning all their 
lives.Successful people never
believe they know everything. They 
stretch and grow and learn from 
their mistakes....they ask a lot of
questions. They are readers, as 
well as, thinkers.

6. They give more than is 
required. The old statement of 
under-promise and over-deliver 
became famous because it made a
lot of people successful, 
including the richest man in the 
world - Bill Gates

7. They see problems as 
opportunities. Successful people 
find solutions to problems that
look impossible. They dont 
complain...they go to work. They see 
a problem as a spring board to 
success.

8. They think positive. Successful 
people always see the glass as 
"half full" and operate on that
assumption.

9. They manage their time 
efficiently. Successful people 
dont get side tracked easily.  They
dont waste their time on 
unproductive things or people. 
Check out the Time Management 
Course.

10. They are great communicators.
Successful people can convey their 
thoughts and plans to others 
without confusion of disconnected
thoughts.