Have you ever heard of Pixar’s 22 Rules of Storytelling? It’s a great list, and I guarantee you’ll find something there worth implementing in your writing—whether it’s finding your theme or how to get unstuck during the creative process.
But for this post, I want to skip down the list all the way to Rule #20:
“Exercise: take the building blocks of a movie you dislike. How d’you rearrange them into what you DO like?”
This is something I enjoyed doing even before I knew it was a suggestion from one of the more accomplished storytelling groups* in popular media. For me, it’s fun to analyze a story or character arc and think of ways to make it better. It’s no diss to whoever wrote that story or character—writing is hard, and hindsight is a crystal clear 20/20. This process is simply a tool to sharpen your own writing skills—so why not add it to your toolbelt?
Work with What You’ve Got
Additionally, this exercise provides a helpful framework—you need to use the existing building blocks of the movie or story you don’t like (or like, but not a lot) and turn those ingredients into something that appeals to you.
You’re not rewriting it from the ground up (though if you want to do that, don’t let me stop you), but rearranging the elements to make the story work better. This keeps your focus on the structure and theme of a story, great practice for when you will need to review and tweak your own writing.
Writing Exercise: Wonder Woman
Let me share an example of this type of writing exercise by looking at 2017’s Wonder Woman. Now, I really enjoyed this movie, and I think it got a lot right. But its ending left me wanting more. So, here’s how I’d fix it.
First, a summary of what we got in the original film (SPOILERS, FYI):
What We Got
Near the end of the movie, Diana/Wonder Woman confronts Ares, God of War and the main antagonist. Diana is convinced killing Ares will bring about the end of World War I—the conflict in which the film takes place. However, Ares reveals that, while he can inspire or influence humanity to violence, it is ultimately their own corrupt nature that leads to war and suffering (GREAT! I mean, not great, but great idea to explore in the movie).
This revelation—paired with Diana’s own doubts about mankind—weakens her resolve, though she continues to battle Ares. Eventually, Diana’s love, Steve Trevor, nobly sacrifices himself to save countless lives. His heroism and their experiences together give Diana hope in humanity, allowing her to realize her true power and defeat Ares.
Which maybe, kinda brings about the end of World War I? It sure seemed like the German soldiers had some sort of spell lifted when Ares was destroyed—which, you’ll note, is antithetical to the idea presented earlier that mankind was influenced, not compelled to violence. Anyway, the war is over and there is much rejoicing. Not the worst ending, but not great. And it was so close to greatness.
The Fix
Here’s the problem: it seems Steve Trevor, alone, inspires Diana’s faith in humanity. She loves Steve, she witnesses his sacrifice. But he’s still just one man. He might very well be the exception that proves the rule of humanity’s corruption, not its standard bearer. There needs to be something more that Diana can put her faith in, while disproving (at least, in part) Ares’ thesis of humanity’s corruption.
Luckily, there is something that fits the bill perfectly. And it really happened. The final battle should have taken place near the war’s Western Front on Christmas Eve, 1914. Diana would come to believe there is hope for humanity in Steve Trevor’s love and courage, yes—but also in the real-life ceasefires between approximately 100,000 British and German troops from December 24-26, 1914.
Soldiers from both sides—who had been trying to kill each other just days before—sung carols, exchanged souvenirs, held joint burials, and maybe even played a soccer game or two. It was a remarkable moment in the midst of a brutal, bloody war.
And it BLOWS MY MIND that the folks making Wonder Woman didn’t think to incorporate it in some way. Picture it—Diana fighting in a valiant but doomed duel with Ares, whom humanity’s hatred has made nigh invincible. Then—the guns firing from the distant trenches stop. Candles light up the darkness. Songs begin to carry on the winter winds. Warring troops reclaim a remnant of peace amidst a terrible conflict—enough to weaken Ares and give Diana the strength needed to emerge victorious.
We know the war continued well beyond the Christmas Truce. But, in the world of Wonder Woman, we as the audience could believe that Ares’ defeat would allow the conflict to eventually wind down.
Then, there would be much rejoicing.
Conclusion
All in all, I hope you find this “fix the story” method a worthy exercise. It’s a great way to flex your creative muscles and help you with your own stories. I think I’ll continue to post more examples like this one as they come to me.
But what do you think? Do you find yourself rewriting stories in your head? Have you been inspired by Pixar’s storytelling rule to do so? If so, what stories would you rework? Let me know in the comments below!
Happy writing, my friend!
—A.E.
*I’m aware that Rotten Tomatoes scores are not the be-all-end-all determination for creative merit—especially in light of recent reports—but I think we can agree that Pixar consistently does a pretty good job.)
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