Pixar #4: The “Story Spine”

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

I believe this is called a “story spine.” Work it out, and you have the most basic essence of a story, which you can then tell in infinite ways.

1. Once upon a time there was A GIRL NAMED RIDING HOOD. This sets up a fairy tale feeling, evoking a primal story response. The “blank” represents a lead character, the point of view that will carry us. And while there are excellent stories with multiple characters who seem to have equal weight…