Pixar's 22 Principles of Storytelling

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These 22 principles were shared by Emma Coats, a former Pixar storyboard artist, on Twitter in 2011. They distill decades of Pixar's storytelling practice into direct, practical advice.

The principles are organized here by purpose. Need help with character? Start there. Stuck on structure? Jump to that section. The original wording is preserved—Emma Coats' voice is part of what makes these memorable.

Character

How to build characters audiences care about.

Character Admiration

You admire a character for trying more than for their successes.

Challenge Characters

What is your character good at, comfortable with? Throw the polar opposite at them. Challenge them. How do they deal?

Character Opinions

Give your characters opinions. Passive/malleable might seem likable to you as you write, but it's poison to the audience.

Emotional Honesty

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

Identify & Motivate

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

Structure

How to shape your story's bones.

Story Spine

Once upon a time there was ___. Every day, ___. One day ___. Because of that, ___. Because of that, ___. Until finally ___.

Example: Finding Nemo

Once upon a time there was a clownfish named Marlin who lost his wife and became overprotective of his son Nemo. Every day, Marlin warned Nemo about the dangers of the ocean. One day, Nemo was captured by a diver. Because of that, Marlin had to cross the entire ocean to find him. Because of that, Marlin faced sharks, jellyfish, and his own fears. Until finally, Marlin rescued Nemo and learned to let his son take risks.

Simplify & Focus

Simplify. Focus. Combine characters. Hop over detours. You'll feel like you're losing valuable stuff but it sets you free.

Endings First

Come up with your ending before you figure out your middle. Seriously. Endings are hard, get yours working up front.

Essence & Economy

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

Theme & Meaning

What your story is really about.

Theme Discovery

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.

Analyze Stories

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.

Personal Belief

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.

Process

How to actually finish.

Finish & Move On

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.

Put It On Paper

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.

No Work Wasted

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

Know Yourself

You have to know yourself: the difference between doing your best & fussing. Story is testing, not refining.

Problem-Solving

Getting unstuck.

Reverse Thinking

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.

Avoid the Obvious

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

Rearrange Elements

Exercise: take the building blocks of a movie you dislike. How d'you rearrange them into what you DO like?

Craft Rules

Audience and mechanics.

Audience vs. Writer

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.

Stakes & Odds

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

Coincidence Rules

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