Moko Expedition #3 – Pixar’s #2 Rule of Storytelling
Posted by Robin Childs on April 18, 2014 News | Podcast | Tags: pixar, storytelling, writing | 3 comments
Every other episode we’ll be exploring one of Pixar’s 22 Rules of Storytelling. In this episode, hear our connections, objections, exceptions, and examples for Rule #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.”
Kristy said on Apr 23, 2014 1:34 pm
I have a question for the podcast crew of Moko Expedition:
I would love to write a short story or even a novel, but I find that I become overwhelmed with where to start first. Do you start with developing characters? Do you start with gathering information about their culture, community, etc. or do you just start writing the story? What is the best way to start or what works for you guys? Thanks! Love the podcast and keep up the good work!
Kristy
This may be odd, but I will usually start with an aesthetic. How do I want my story to feel? What do I want to say? Characters and settings tend to evolve from this feeling, and I can choose a genre or archetypes to work with from there.
I notice that I usually get these feelings when I consume other media, especially music. For me, this is the best way to catch my muse, though I have only ever met one other creator with whom this works. For others, it could be brainstorming, or simply selecting a setting or character. I’ll let the others speak on their experiences.
We will probably address this question at length in one of our upcoming podcasts as well, but that may be a few weeks from now.
Kristy,
That’s a great question, and thank you for taking the time to write it. I can’t say there is one thing I normally start with, because I’ve had things come as images, characters, or settings. We discuss it in depth in an upcoming podcast, so thank you for giving us the idea for a whole episode, but I belong to the “just write” school. Flex that creativity and make sure you strike while the iron is hot, then go back and world build.
Be sure to listen to the podcast where we will answer it in depth, and thanks for your support again.
Matt Parker
a.k.a. the Tuxedo Guy (although we prefer Gentleman Adventurer)