Pixar's Rules of Storytelling:

1. You admire a character for trying more than for their successes.

2. You gotta keep in mind what's interesting to you as a an audience, not what's fun to do as a writer. They can be very different.

3. Once upon a time there was _. Everyday, _. One day, _. Because of that, _. Because of that, _. Until finally, _.

4. Simplify. Focus. Combine characters. Hop over detours. You'll feel like you're losing valuable stuff but it sets you free.

5. What is your character good at, comfortable with? Throw the polar opposite at them. Challenge them. How do they deal?

6. Figure out your ending before you figure out your middle. Seriously. Endings are hard. Get yours working up front.

7. 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.

8. When you're stuck, make a list of what WOULDN'T happen next.

9. Pull apart all the stories you like. What you like in them is a part of you; you've got to recognise it before you can use it.

10. 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.

11. Discount the 1st thing that comes to your mind. And the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th - get the obvious out of the way. Surprise yourself.

12. Give your characters opinions. Passive/malleable might seem likeable to you as you write, but it's poison to the audience.

13. Why must you tell THIS story? What's the belief burning within you that your story feeds off of? That's the heart if it.

14. If you were your character, in this situation, how would you feel? Honesty lends credibility to unbelievable situations.

15. What are the stakes? Give us a reason to root for the character. What happens if they don't succeed? Stack the odds against.

16. No work is ever wasted - it'll come back around to be useful later.

17. You have to know yourself: the difference between doing your best and fussing. Story is testing, not refining.

18. Coincidences to get characters into trouble are great; coincidences to get them out are cheating.

19. Exercise: take the building blocks of a movie you dislike. How would you rearrange them into what you DO like?

20. You gotta identify with your situation/characters, can't just write "cool." What would make YOU act that way?