The Story Spine Framework

I recently came across a story spine created by Kenn Adams of Synergy Theater in San Francisco and made popular by Pixar Animation Studios. Through a series of writing prompts, it guides the development of a story. The idea is to follow each prompt until a story emerges.

Finding myself at a plot impasse, I used it as a tool to get my creative juices flowing again. Here is my sample using the story spine framework (structure in bold):

1. Once upon a time…

… there was a woman named Brenda who lived alone on Second Street.

2. Every day…

… she started her morning with a cup of coffee as she scrolled Facebook. Her nieces

always posted fun and pleasant pictures of all the wonderful things they were doing,

sometimes including other family members. This was how Brenda stayed connected to

her family.

3. Until one day…

… she forgot to charge her old Android during the night, and the phone had no power.

4. Because of that…

… she was suddenly disconnected from her family.

5. Because of that…

… Panic set in.

6. Because of that…

… She imagined terrible things had happened to her family during the night.

7. Until finally…

… her phone had full power.

8. And ever since then…

… Brenda remembered to charge her phone before going to bed.

This was a quick distraction from my writing block dilemma, but as many know, story lines

come from the strangest places, and from there, I already have a story in mind for Brenda, living alone away from her family, finding solace in online connections rather than human interactions, becoming easily upset and anxious. Of course, Brenda will have to wait for her turn at the storyboard, as there are countless ahead of her. But she was able to bring me back to where I needed to be…

“Vivian could not understand why Sam had not responded. Had she said something to

upset him? She swallowed her pride and reached for her phone to text him again, only to

discover her phone was not charged and had died during the night.”