Once upon a time ...

Is “Once upon a time …,” how you start creating your story? Not bad according to one of the steps in Pixar story artist Emma Coat’s article, “Pixar Story Rules (one version),” on how to write a good story. Her piece on the Pixartouchbook blog, lists a series of steps one can take to “create appealing stories.” I like them all especially #4 and #9. But my favorite is #14. All the steps make sense, however, and are good suggestions on getting started. 

#4: Once upon a time there was ___. Every day, ___. One day ___. Because of that, ___. Because of that, ___. Until finally ___.

#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.

#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.

School Visit

So how do you create your story? Mine is a combination of some of the steps in Coat’s article. In my mind, I usually start with “Once upon a time ….” What about you?

 “I like the idea that magic can be hidden under the surface of everyday life.” – Trina Schart Hyman