What Writers Can Learn from the Theme of Pixar’s Soul
As I wrote the first post about Pixar’s Soul, I couldn’t get this idea out of my head:
The theme of Soul is important for writers. Not to learn a storytelling technique, but to absorb as an ambitious human.
Here’s what I mean. The moment Joe finally achieves his dream and feels unfulfilled offers us a big lesson: You can’t enjoy the end result unless you appreciate the journey—and all its little moments—that got you there.
Read it. Learn it. Watch it. Absorb it.
Appreciate the journey! Appreciate the small wins. The more you do, the more fulfilled you’ll be as a writer, and the more you’ll get to enjoy and bask in those big, momentous events and milestones when you hit them.
I recently launched the Storytelling Magic eBook, and in it is an exercise that was monumentally important for me as a writer. It shifted things for me and took my writing deeper.
And it’s simple. So. Simple.
It’s about narrowing in on moments in your life.
Times when you’ve felt big emotions. Times when you’ve appreciated small things with your senses (sight, sound, touch, smell, taste).
Doing this makes all the difference. It helps you understand the human experience on a deeper level, which is what storytelling is all about.
Publishing a book is a fantastic goal. But so many writers fall by the wayside because it’s also a long-term goal.
When I write 500 words in a day, it doesn’t feel like I narrowed the gap between where I am and my end goal by much. It doesn’t really feel like I’m that much closer to finishing and publishing a book.
But what did I accomplish?
First of all, I did something I LOVE. You’re a writer because you love it. Right? So love it! Every day. Even when it’s hard.
I am a huge believer in the power of our thoughts and words.
I recently fell into a big writing slump. I didn’t touch my book for weeks. I kept telling myself that there was some big reason why. That I needed to overcome a personal hurdle and then I would be ready again. That one day the magic would suddenly flow through my fingers, inspiring me to sit and write for hours.
But that didn’t happen.
Instead, I started re-learning the power of thoughts and how much they influence our actions.
I started telling myself over and over how much I love writing. Because it’s true! I had memories of getting lost in my writing as evidence. I could close my eyes and feel the excitement, passion, invigoration, satisfaction, and pride of writing.
It still took several days. The first day I sat and wrenched out one sentence. The next day it was 100 words. Then 250 words. And every day I continued to think about how much I loved writing. How easy and joyful and fulfilling it was. How it’s (one of) my sparks.
I love Soul because of its message.
Sure, there is a lot to learn from this film when it comes to storytelling techniques, but it is also a great reminder about life in general.
Life is only worth living when we take time to enjoy the little moments that make up every single day. And the same truth applies to writing. It’s not only about looking forward to the big life-changing events. In fact, in my experience, those big life-changing events are often hollow unless we’ve appreciated every step of the journey up until that point.
So there it is. Just a little bit of inspiration for your day.
If you’re finding it hard to sit and write or to actually envision your end goal because it seems so. far. away. Then it might be a good time to take a moment and remind yourself of how much you love the craft. Of why you love it. Of how talented, ambitious, and inspiring you are.
The fastest way to write a strong story is with an effective outline that plots your novel’s beating heart.
In Outline Your Novel, you’ll learn exactly what these beats are, why they matter, and how to outline them effectively to make your story sing.
