Modern Screenwriters Should Go Back and Study Pixar’s 22 Rules of Storytelling

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John Summers • Contributor
Dec 21, 2024 11:00 PM EST

I recently had the misfortune of sitting through Kraven the Hunter and Madam Web, and honestly, it just made me sad. Somewhere along the way, it feels like screenwriters forgot what makes a story good. It's not the flashy action scenes, the big explosions, or the forced one-liners—it's the characters. It's always been the characters.

Whoever wrote those movies (and a few others I won't name) should seriously go back and study Pixar's 22 Rules of Storytelling. These timeless gems, first shared by Pixar's Emma Coats in 2011, are a goldmine for anyone trying to tell a story that actually resonates. Pixar knew how to craft narratives that hit you right in the feels, and their characters? You still think about them years later. If modern screenwriters want to step up their game, this list is the perfect place to start.

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  • 01
    PIXAR'S 22 Rules Phenomenal storytelling
    via Emma Coats
  • 02
    [1] You ADMIRE a CHARACTER more for TRYING than for their successes.
    via Emma Coats
  • 03
    [2] Keep in mind what's interesting to an AUDIENCE NOT what's FUN to do as a writer. They can be very different.
    via Emma Coats
  • 04
    [3] Trying for theme is important, but you won't see what the story is actually about until you're at the end of it. Now rewrite.
    via Emma Coats
  • 05
    [4] Once upon a time there was . Because of Every day, One day that, Because of that, Until finally
    via Emma Coats
  • 06
    [5] Simplify. Focus. Combine characters. Hop over detours. You'll feel like you're losing valuable stuff but it sets you free.
    via Emma Coats
  • 07
    What is your character good at, comfortable [6] Throw the polar opposite at them. Challenge with? them. How do they DEAL
    via Emma Coats
  • 08
    [7] Come up with your ending before you figure out your middle. Seriously. Endings are HARD, get yours working up front.
    via Emma Coats
  • 09
    [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.
    via Emma Coats
  • 10
    [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.
    via Emma Coats
  • 11
    Pull you like. [10] apart the stories What you like in them is a part of you; you've got to recognize it before you can use it.
    via Emma Coats
  • 12
    [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.
    via Emma Coats
  • 13
    [12] DISCOUNT the 1st thing that comes to mind. And the 2nd, 3rd 4th 5th , get the obvious out of the way. Surprise yourself.
    via Emma Coats
  • 14
    [13] Give your characters OPINIONS. Passive/malleable might seem likable to you as you write, but it's poison to the audience.
    via Emma Coats
  • 15
    [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.
    via Emma Coats
  • 16
    [15] If you were your character, in this situation, how would you feel? Honesty lends credibility to unbelievable situations.
    via Emma Coats
  • 17
    [16] What are the stakes? Give us reason to root for the character. What happens if they don't succeed? Stack the odds against.
    via Emma Coats
  • 18
    [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.
    via Emma Coats
  • 19
    [18] You have to KNOW YOURSELF: the difference between doing your best & fussing. Story is testing not refining.
    via Emma Coats
  • 20
    [19] COINCIDENCES to get characters into TROUBLE are GREAT. COINCIDENCES to get them out of it are CHEATING.
    via Emma Coats
  • 21
    [20] Exercise: take the building blocks of a movie you DISLIKE. How d'you rearrange them into what you DO like?
    via Emma Coats
  • 22
    [21] You have to identify with your situation and characters, CAN'T JUST WRITE 'COOL'. What would make YOU act that way?
    via Emma Coats
  • 23
    [22] WHAT'S THE ESSENCE OF YOUR STORY? MOST ECONOMICAL TELLING OF IT? IF YOU KNOW THAT, YOU CAN BUILD OUT FROM THERE.
    via Emma Coats

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