Writers can learn a lot from animated storytelling. Pixar Animation Studios storyboard artist Emma Coats recently shared some “story basics” with her Twitter followers.
The Pixar Touch blog has helpfully collected these 22 pieces of advice in a single post. We’ve collected a few of our favorite suggestions from Coats (pictured, via), but you should read the entire post.
#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?