Pixar's 22 Rules of Storytelling

Happy Monday, everyone!

My apologies for this super short post, which is basically just a link to somebody else’s post, but I found it so helpful and interesting I couldn’t not share. Emma Coats, story artist at Pixar, compiled Pixar’s 22 Tips for Writers, which was posted at PR Daily last week (link below).

Pixar's 22 Rules of Storytelling

Tips #2 and #12 really resonated with me, but I think they’re all great food for thought.

Hope you enjoy and share them around.

Happy writing!

-Dawn Lairamore

photo credit: silkegb via photopin cc

Let's Talk About Endings

I have a confession. I hate it when a book closes with an open ending—or a “non-ending” as I sometimes think of them. You know what I’m taking about, those books where the major plotlines are never resolved, where the book just sort of stops without giving you any solid answers or the author leaves it up to the reader to decide what happens next or to connect the dots without providing any firm leads for doing so. Such endings always feel like a bit of a cop-out to me, like the author wrote a story but didn’t bother to come up with an ending. It always leaves me feeling cheated. This is my personal taste, of course, and I’m sure there are others out there that would argue this is a perfectly valid way to end a book. I just prefer books with solid endings, I guess.

Endings are pretty important. The entire book leads up to this point, and the last thing you want to do is disappoint your readers or make them think, “What? I read 300 hundred pages for that?!”

So, some tips about endings:

• There should actually be an ending, at least in my opinion. The story shouldn’t just stop without resolving the major conflict(s) that arose during the course of the book. The ending should offer answers and resolution. Even if the author has a sequel planned or anticipates the book being the first in a series, the major loose ends should still be tied up. You never know—your publisher could decline to publish a sequel, cancel your contact for a series, even go out of business entirely. We hope none of these things happen, of course, but this is a crazy business. One of my friends was once reading a book series, and sadly, the author died before it was ever finished. It’s never a safe bet to leave your readers hanging too much.

• The main character should be the one who brings about this resolution. This seems to throw a lot of newbie writers for a loop. The story shouldn’t resolve due to a lucky coincidence or a character that materializes out of nowhere to solve everyone’s problems. In children’s lit, it certainly shouldn’t be an adult such as a handy parent or teacher who swoops in to save the day. You want an active main character who influences the people and situations around them—and yes, that means coming up with the solutions to their own problems. The best endings will force your main character to grow or change in some way.

• And it always helps when the ending isn’t too predictable—or too moral. If you have to throw the moral in the reader’s face (“see, boys and girls, why it’s so important to eat your vegetables,” etc.), you haven’t done a good enough job making it clear in the course of the book. There’s always something a little insulting about someone trying to hammer a message into you. Trust your audience to work out the morals on their own.

 How do you feel about open endings? What are your best tips for endings?

-Dawn Lairamore

photo credit: Georgie Sharp via photopin cc

If I Don't Know What's Wrong, How Do I Fix It???

I was at a writers’ conference last year when someone brought up that age-old dilemma: what do I do when a chapter/scene/section of my manuscript just doesn’t feel right, but I have no idea what specifically is wrong? If I can’t put my finger on what’s broke, how can I fix it?

Yeah, been there. Sometimes a section of your manuscript just isn’t making the grade. You’re not happy with it, you’ve revised it a million times, you’ve re-read it over and over again, and all you know is that something still isn’t quite right. Frustrating!!!

I think I’ve gotten better over the years at spotting the deficiencies in my writing. It’s taken a lot—a lot!—of trial and error, but I’ve learned that when a scene feels “off” I can usually put my finger on the problem if I ask myself certain questions. We all have different writing styles, of course, but here’s the list of what I investigate if a scene doesn’t feel quite on the ball:

• Is there a good balance between internal and external? There are character-centric stories and plot-centric ones, of course, but I tend to like a balance between the two. Sometimes I find that a scene feels off-kilter if I’m focusing too heavily on external events or internal reactions. I often find that an action sequence flows quite a bit better if I remember to add some character reaction into the mix to break up the constant description of what’s happening in the physical world. 

• Is there too much description? It’s that old trap of telling rather than showing. If a scene feels too stale perhaps I’m telling the reader too much through description rather than conveying it through dialogue, emotions, and character reactions.

•  Do I focus too much on setting? Okay, maybe it is a really beautiful meadow, but do I need to spend three paragraphs describing every wildflower and blade of grass. (No!!) What can I cut to keep the pace from getting too bogged down?

• Does the dialogue feel natural? I’ll read it out loud to make sure there are no places where it gets wordy or awkward. And on a related note, is there a good balance between dialogue and narrative? Variety keeps it interesting—a scene can start to feel flat if there’s constant dialogue or little to none at all.

• Are the characters true to themselves? Remember, every character should have a very distinctive voice. A scene can get boring fast if everyone starts to sound the same. If this is the case, then it’s time to revise with an eye toward bringing out their individual personalities.

• Does the scene flow? Does it transition well between what comes before and what comes after? Or does it feel too abrupt? Reading out loud is a great way to gauge these things.

• Super important—does the scene accomplish its purpose? Yes, every scene should have a purpose, whether it’s to reveal an important plot development, introduce an aspect of a character that’s significant to the overall story, or convey a piece of information the reader needs to know. Perhaps the scene feels wrong because it’s unnecessary. If it doesn’t serve a purpose in the story as a whole, cut it, cut it, cut it!

• Does the scene lack clarity? Perhaps it feels off because it’s not conveying what it’s meant to convey. Is it confusing in some way? If so, how can you revise so the reader comes away from the scene knowing what they need to know. We just talked about every scene needing to serve a purpose—make sure your scene is making its point as clearly and efficiently as possible.

Of course, if you still can’t figure out what’s wrong with a scene, a fresh pair of eyes is golden. Ask someone whose opinion you trust to read the scene and tell you what they think. You’ll be amazed at what jumps out at others immediately when you’re struggling to see the forest through the trees.

How do you deal when your writing’s “not quite there”?

-Dawn Lairamore

photo credit: ReillyButler via photopin cc

Out On Submission

I recently tried to explain to someone what it was like to be out on submission. I found it hard to describe accurately, because the truth is, the process can eat you up from the inside out. It’s like being oh-so-close to the pinnacle of the mountain, only to have your feet swallowed by the earth, unable to take another step. You can only stare up at the top of the mountain and imagine what it looks like. “But I am so close,” you whisper, your feet planted in ground beneath you. Stuck.

Then I had an email conversation with another writer who was also out on submission. She was actually going through it, and her insides were being devoured—like many writers—by the hair-pulling, nail-biting, and ulcer-inducing waiting game. I didn’t need to explain anything to her. She understood completely.

But the thing is, there are ways to help get through it without destroying yourself. Here are a few things I’ve learned:

1) USE YOUR AGENT TO BOLSTER YOUR CONFIDENCE.

When your book is out with editors, keep reminding yourself how passionately your agent responded to the book when she first read it. This will keep your confidence high. And, if you happened to have multiple agents who had been vying to rep you, use their passion to help bolster your confidence, too. Because let’s face it: this business is S…L…O…W! Each day that goes by without any word can push you one way or the other, so you need to remember that your agent (who knows what she is doing) loved your book. This is one of the many reasons you need an agent who champions your work.

2) REMEMBER THE SLOW NATURE OF THE PUBLISHING BUSINESS.

I mentioned it before. This business works at glacial speed. At best. Here’s the way many submissions go for debut authors: The editor needs to read and love your book, then share it with others who need to read and love it, after which they need to discuss the book, weigh and evaluate the book with a team, and then put a deal together to share with your agent. All that takes time, and remember that the first step—the editor actually reading the book—can take a while to begin with, especially given the fact that there are other projects on her plate. True, there are some authors who hear back quickly, but don’t assume that’ll be you. And don’t be discouraged if it isn’t. Just remind yourself that things usually happen slowly in this business.

3) KEEP IN MIND THE LONG, TOUGH ROAD OTHER AUTHORS HAVE TAKEN. YOU ARE FOLLOWING THEM.

Some writers have a quick and easy path to publication. Don’t hate on them, tough as it is not to be jealous. The key is to realize their quick road was most likely a combination of a few things: talent, a killer concept that's hot, great timing, and a bit of luck. Yes, luck. I’m not saying luck is the key factor, but it does play a role. Tim Green, an accomplished NYT bestselling author, once paid an author visit to my school district and talked about what it takes to be a success in any entertainment industry, like writing. He mentioned that you needed a good deal of talent, along with a “maniacal” work habit. “And finally,” he said, “let me tell you something people often leave out, but something that you NEED. And that’s luck.” Tim Green is right. Because his point was that you need those first two (talent and hard work) but you also need a bit of luck, whether it’s that your type of manuscript is selling like crazy at that time, or that the editor who just received your manuscript somehow found herself trapped in an elevator for hours with only your manuscript to keep her company. Point is that most authors have a potholed, bumpy ride before they find a smooth stretch of interstate. One author who I think best epitomizes how long and difficult the journey can be is James Dashner. I urge you to visit his website and scroll down to “HOW I GOT PUBLISHED” and read all 9 parts of his story. Seriously. Do. It. Now. And while you’re at it, agent Jill Corcoran (not my agent, but a darn good one) has a list of successful authors who had a tough road HERE.

* And please feel free to mention and link any other well-known author who has had a long journey as well.

4) WRITE SOMETHING NEW (NOT A SEQUEL) NOW! NO EXCUSES! DO IT!

Most importantly, once your book is out with editors, start something new. Even if your book is the first of a series, start something unrelated to the book that just went out. I’m not saying you NEVER write that second book, but I am saying you need to get something else going immediately because you need to let the other project play itself out. And guess what? That might mean it never sells. If that happens, you would have wasted a lot of time writing the second book of a series that never sells. It’s better to give yourself over to a new, exciting project. Why? Well, first off, it gets you in that writing mode again, and you’re a darn writer, not a waiter. Right? So stop waiting around and write. The second thing this does is it gives you new hope just in case, unfortunately, that first book doesn’t sell. And that’s important because you can’t give up. You can’t ever give up. I see too many writers who sink all hopes in one manuscript. I understand the bond you have with that project, with that baby, but you need to cut the cord and give birth to another. The third reason you need to start something new and unrelated to the project out on submission is because it takes your mind off the other project. And I’ve learned from experience that you can’t dwell on a project that’s out there. You really need to move on and let your energy focus on something fresh.

In the end, this is just my opinion, which is based on my experience. How about you? Let me know what you think about this crazy process.