Pixar Animation is well-known for their devotion to the craft of storytelling, as evident in such films as Toy Story and The Incredibles.   Months ago, (now-former) Pixar storyboard artist Emma Coats tweeted a list of storytelling tips she learned at the studio.  These have since been posted elsewhere on the internet and no wonder:  they’re great tips!

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 very 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.

If you wanted to find Superman, how would you do it?  Leave it to Lex Luthor to know how.  You do it by playing music by John Williams, performed by the London Symphony Orchestra. From Superman, 1978:

http://youtu.be/zVPVolU8oZI

Want to know the latest news about Star Blazers / Space Battleship Yamato?  Click on Ourstarblazers.com, presented by America’s foremost authority on the series, Tim Eldred.  Tim has been involved with Star Blazers / Yamato fandom for decades, being involved with the DVDs released in the U.S., helming starblazers.com, and many other contributions on behalf of Voyager Entertainment, who held the U.S. distribution license.  With Voyager losing interest in the property, Tim started his own website to continue the legacy.  Ourstarblazers.com launched December 1, 2012.  Now fans can continue to enjoy retrospectives and news on the voyages of Yamato and its missions to save mankind.

We salute Tim and thank him for sharing his passion with all of us.

Visit Ourstarblazers.com.  Learn the many behind-the-scenes insights into the production of this fantastic series.  Gaze upon the exciting visuals on display.  Then tell your friends!