5 Steps Learned at Pixar to Write a Good Beginning

[Fishbowl Helmet]

This is a great little video on good beginnings plus there's two further links to great writing advice.

 

[Zebra Wizard]

Nice. It's very reassuring that i managed to do this without knowing this. And recently I was scared I had to do one of those in the Middle of Action scenes that so many people seem to like starting with.

 

[MWagner]

One thing I found curious about the advice is it suggests opening with the protagonist doing something she loves or is great at. Sound advice. However, in the 30 second slush pile readings I've been to, if there isn't clear conflict by the fifth sentence, the story gets gonged. I wonder if perhaps movies actually have less narrative urgency than popular fiction today, at least in openings. Two minutes of the protagonist surfing, running up mountains, or threatening piles of stone with a wooden sword can be entertaining on film, owing to its visual appeal. From what I understand, prose fiction doesn't have that luxury. To be commercially viable, it needs conflict now.

 

[Dennis E. Taylor]

One thing I found curious about the advice is it suggests opening with the protagonist doing something she loves or is great at. Sound advice. However, in the 30 second slush pile readings I've been to, if there isn't clear conflict by the fifth sentence, the story gets gonged.

I've gotten into the habit, whenever I hear one of these 'rules', of checking out some of the SF books I own to see if the author abides by the rule. Some rules do appear to be pretty generally obeyed, but not this one. Most of the trad-pubbed books have a 'hook' of some kind in the first paragraph, but it's not necessarily conflict. You just have to get the reader to say, "whaaaaaa?" and keep reading.

I wonder how many agents/publishers miss out on good writers because of these platitudinous (it's a word-- I checked) rules.

 

[MWagner]

I've gotten into the habit, whenever I hear one of these 'rules', of checking out some of the SF books I own to see if the author abides by the rule.

I have no doubt most of the SF/F books I own would not make it through a page and a half before being voted down by the panel at these readings. I'm not sure how much of that is the panellists hewing over-close to inflexible ideals, and how much is the changing market for popular fiction. I worry that many of the SF/F books written 20+ years ago that I enjoy, even some of the most popular, would not find a publisher or market today. Which is troubling, since I read far more books published 20+ years ago than I read recent best-sellers.

 

[Dennis E. Taylor]

since I read far more books published 20+ years ago than I read recent best-sellers.

Oh, very much this! There's a kind of innocent "full speed ahead" feel to older SF. The newer stuff mostly seems kind of self-conscious, like they're scared to paint outside the lines or something.

 

[J D Foster]

it needs conflict now.

I just wrote that down on my list of 'things to remember when writing' pinned above my pc. It needs conflict now, love that phrase.

 

[goldhawk]

Here is the first of Pixar storytelling rules. Like the OP's video, they have to be taken with a grain of salt. There is no best way of writing. Every writer has to find their own path.

 

[Martin Gill]

I've gotten into the habit, whenever I hear one of these 'rules', of checking out some of the SF books I own to see if the author abides by the rule.

My inlaws were over last weekend and they are both big fantasy readers. I can't remember the authors they were both reading but I picked up both their books and both started with the weather. That's always cited as a big no-no.

 

[Brian G Turner]

There's a piece on io9 today where someone talks about the development process behind Find Dory, and the various challenges they had with opening, character, continuity, and cutting:
http://io9.gizmodo.com/everything-you-ever-wanted-to-know-about-the-making-of-1769645761