6 Rules of Great Storytelling (As Told by Pixar)

People want to root for you (the main character) and they love a good underdog. 

When your character is battling against all odds or facing adversity, you have yourself the makings of a great story. In our current society, everyone loves a good "rags to riches" story.

Psychologists recognise six basic emotions: anger, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness, and surprise. 

These emotions are characters in the movie. The more you understand how/when your own emotional levers are pulled, the more you’ll appreciate how that works in others.

What makes modern stories compelling are when our perceptions of reality are challenged or changed in some way. Often the topics or themes are unexpected. One way to manage this is to get rid of the 1st thing that comes to mind, then the 2nd, 3rd, 5th, and 5th. 

Creators like Pixar and Walt Disney use animated movies as vehicles to address real-life issues. Movies such as Brave, Coco, Tangled, and Moana helps us to understand and reflect on big, human-centred topics.

Creators naturally want to include as much information as possible in their stories. We pack in too many plot twists and dialogue and characters, adding unnecessary layers. Instead, Pixar's advice is to combine characters and skip over detours.

One way to find out if your story is easy to follow is to tell it to a friend or family member. Watch their face as you read it and try to see where they pause and what questions they might have.