Pixar's 22 Rules of Storytelling: Rule #12-The Perfect Draft, Part II

Rule #12 relates closely to Rule #11. You need to seriously consider The Concept before you start drafting.

#12: Discount the 1st thing that comes to mind. And the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th – get the obvious out of the way. Surprise yourself.

My super cool “list of 10″ trick applies well here. I talked more about this and gave examples in the post for rule 9, but here’s the general idea: when you’re working on your concept or trying to figure out any problem in your story, make a list of 10 things that could occur. Don’t let your critic get in the way here, just list 10 options. The first 3 or 4 that come to mind need thrown out. Since you thought of them first, most likely everyone else did too. A concept that low down on the list isn’t going to be original enough to carry the story. Push yourself from the very beginning to explore original ideas, motivations, and fixes in your story concept. If you’ve got that covered, you’re in a great starting place. You can write your draft and trust yourself to make it everything you want it to be in revisions.

But first, the draft has to exist.

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Pixar's 22 Rules of Storytelling: Rule #11--The Perfect Draft, Part I

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.

I’ve been thinking about my current WIP for months. Granted, I want to be more thorough in the planning stages with this one, and I’ve been querying, interning, and revising as well. But I will admit a small part of me is nervous  my draft won’t live up to my expectations. It can’t possibly be as good as it is in my head. It can’t be as impacting or engrossing as I imagine it.

If I don’t try, I can’t fail, right? Sure. In a sense. But (you knew there was going to be one, didn’t you?) I can’t succeed with this story, either– not until I put words on paper.

So maybe you’re thinking I’m going to tell you to knuckle down and bulldoze through. Trust yourself! Be inspired! Take a risk! You can do it!

More helpful than that, I think, is taking the pressure off drafting. A draft isn’t a book. A draft is just a starting place. Here’s my rule about drafts:

All a first draft has to do is exist.

A perfect first draft has a beginning, a middle, and an end. That’s it. Is that a perfect book? Of course not. A draft isn’t the same thing as a book, though. Don’t expect to hit your literary goals with your first draft. Good writing is rewriting. Second and third and tenth drafts are for adding layers and subtlety and poetry. Don’t expect too much from your first draft. Don’t burden it with your visions of grandeur to the point you’re scared to write it. An unwritten book isn’t a book. So take the pressure off drafting, don’t expect perfection, and trust yourself to improve it and make it what you want in later drafts. That is what they’re for. All a first draft has to do is exist.

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Pixar's 22 Rules of Storytelling: Rule #10-Learning from What You Read

Rule #10: Pull apart the stories you like. What you like in them is a part of you; you’ve got to recognize it before you can use it.

I’ve read this way since I was twelve years old. At least, I’ve tried. When I love something in a book, I’m automatically curious why. I wanted to know why I loved that scene, that line, that character, long before I realized I wanted to be a writer. When a person loves something about a book, usually that means the author did something well. Pull it apart to see why it worked. If a scene just gripped you so thoroughly you couldn’t put the book down, look at why. Clipped, backloaded sentences? High personal stakes? Action where the timing was just dead-on?

I cannot get over the voice in The Fault in Our Stars. It’s funny, sarcastic, intelligent, and humble. I’m still working on breaking down how John Green did that, but frankness is a part of it. Hazel is honest with the reader about both love and death. I had no idea honesty about difficult things could be that impacting.

What Alice Forgot paints a relationship with effortless, breathtaking strokes. A tiny detail here, just a glimpse of an early scene in their marriage there. Liane Moriarty pulls together a complete, gorgeous picture of a marriage with tiny heartbreaking details. This book takes showing not telling to a whole new level. Seeing which details she uses, and how effective they are even without the summary and lines of telling that so many writers use to ground the reader, is such a powerful way to explore that concept.

In Jennifer Donnelly’s Revolution, I connected particularly with the main character. She’s skeptical and introspective, which I enjoyed, but after thinking about it, what drew me so much to her is her passion for music. I love music, but it’s particularly the way she talks about it, thinks with it, needs it, that gets me. The way she feels about music, I feel about writing. Giving your characters passions is a powerful thing. We all have deep desires. Giving them to your characters opens up a strong connection point with your readers.

So when you love something in a book, pause to think about why and jot it down. Process it. Use it. Doing so will change how you write- and how you read.

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Pixar's 22 Rules of Storytelling: Rule #9--Using a List of Ten to Solve Everything

#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.

I can see the sense here. This rule requires you to think through the situation, what’s plausible and what’s not, and sometimes by exploring the opposite of what you want, you’ll trigger a thought that will bring you full-circle. I’ve never tried this particular tactic, but it seems like it could help. The nuts and bolts of it, though, is getting figured out what has to happen in a scene when you’re stuck.

When I’m stuck, or brainstorming, or just want to boost the originality of an element, I use what I call “the rule of ten.” List ten things that could happen on a piece of scratch paper. Don’t think through them- just list. Don’t get bogged down trying to figure out if you’d actually want that thing to happen- just list ten things. So let’s try that. Pick an issue you have with your story right now- a character who needs a stronger motivation to do something, a twist or complication that needs ironed out, options for resolving the conflict-anything works. Try it with me. Yes, I’m serious.

Got your paper and pen? Let’s do it.

For mine, I’m going to say I have a contemporary YA where the girl is in conflict with her parents over a guy (I know, how original). What sort of conflicts could this be? I’ll be honest and draft this the same way I would all my other lists.

1) he’s a “bad boy”/has a record so they think he’s a bad influence

2) he’s a poor kid from across the tracks. Their princess deserves “better”

3) It’s a racial/cultural thing thing

4) He’s much older

5) they know a secret about his family that she doesn’t

6) They want her to go to college and are afraid local commitments will hold her back

7) She’s pregnant and they don’t think it’s appropriate for her to be dating right now

8) She’s been in abusive past relationships and they simply don’t trust her judgment; if she likes him, he has to be the wrong guy

9) The guy previously dated her older sister and broke her heart

10) They’ve been cursed to not like their daughter’s boyfriend, no matter who he is.

Ooh, look- that last one isn’t really contemporary. Interesting. Of course, some of these are silly, but that’s okay, because it’s brainstorming. Don’t let your critic get in the way at this point.

So here’s what happens with the rule of ten:

The first 3 things will probably be the same things everyone thinks of. Since they’re what your mind immediately went to, they are probably also what everyone else thought of.  Unless you’re certain one of them is genius, cross them off right away. The mid-list items might be more unique, so look from there down for something that has genuine potential.

Chances are you will have a much harder time than you think coming up with the items for 7, 8, 9, and 10. You’ll probably have to do quite a bit of thinking about how complex people are and how strange life can be just to finish out the 10. Even though some of these have problems with them, several of these really catch my interest. This is a great way to get inspiration and cross off the story ideas that have been overused. I never let myself settle on something until I have listed at least 10 things.

Having done 10, do you think you could do 20? Could you take the one or two that catch your interest, and fill that out into a list of 10? What 10 minor complications could option, say, 7

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