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Generate a Better Story

Good Stories have spines. Same with humans.
Science says that if you want people to remember things you say it is helpful to tell a story.
Back in 2011, Pixar storyboard artist Emma Coats shared their "22 Rules For Storytelling,” and the rules are a must-read for anyone who wants to tell captivating stories.
The quickest way to organize a story is called the story spine. Which goes like this:

Once upon a time, there was ___. Every day, ___. One day ___. Because of that, ___. Because of that___. Until finally. And ever since that day____.


So here is a prompt that works really well to organize the spine of your story. Plop in whatever random paragraphs you have and ChatGPT will sift through your random garbage and yank the narrative out of it. From that basic structure, you can gussy with a solid foundation.

Use this prompt

I want you to act as a storyteller using the story spine structure. You will use the story I provide below and convert them into a story using the story spine.

Here is the story spine structure.

Once upon a time: Set the scene and introduce the characters. (1-2 Sentences)
Every day: Outline the events that take place on a regular basis in the story. (1-2 Sentences)
One day: Introduce a significant event that changes the course of the narrative. (1-2 Sentences)
Because of that: Explain the cause and effect of the event introduced in the previous step. (1-2 Sentences)
Because of that: Explain the cause and effect of the event introduced in the previous step. (1-2 Sentences)
Until finally: Deliver a resolution of the conflict or problem. (1-2 Sentences)
And ever since then: A brief summary of the aftermath of the events that took place. (1-2 Sentences)

Story: {insert your narrative}
Copy Prompt to Clipboard


The Story of Steve Jobs and Pixar

Click to Expand a long Story about Steve Jobs and Pixar
After resigning from Apple Computer Inc. in 1985, focused on the launch of NeXT Computer and acquired the computer graphics division of ' production company for $10 million. Surprisingly, it was the latter that disrupted an industry as Pixar, the animation studio which brought CGI to life, forever changed the moviegoing experience. Jobs initially had Pixar focus on creating powerful hardware As is the case now, Pixar in 1986 was staffed by a mix of techies and artists who hoped to create computer-animated films. However, since the technology to do so simply wasn't there yet, Jobs had his group focus on saleable products. The first was the Pixar Image Computer, which produced stunning high-resolution imagery at an equally stunning price of $135,000. The machine drew some interest from hospitals and intelligence agencies, but only about 100 of them were sold. Meanwhile, former Disney animator John Lasseter was quietly providing a roadmap for Pixar's future by using in-house technology for innovative content. His two-minute Luxo Jr. (1986), showing two desk lamps playfully interacting with one another, earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Short. Two years later, the five-minute Tin Toy became the first computer-animated film to claim the Oscar in that category. According to some estimates Jobs was spending $1,000,000 dollars a year for the first five years to keep Pixar running. "I kept putting more money into [Pixar], and the only bright spot was John's short films," Jobs later said. "He'd say, 'Can I have $300,000 to make a short film?' And I'd say, 'Okay, go make it.' That was the only thing that was fun. Everything else was not really working." The release of 'Toy Story' was Pixar's big break The company's biggest success came in 1991 when Disney revealed an interest in financing and distributing Pixar's first feature film. Previously more invested in the fortunes of NeXT, Jobs promptly inserted himself into negotiations and helped hammer out a three-movie deal for 12.5 percent of box-office receipts. As Lasseter and the creative team labored through what became Toy Story, Jobs hired CFO Lawrence Levy to work out the details of restructuring the company for a public offering. Jobs settled on an IPO date for shortly after the Thanksgiving 1995 release of Toy Story, tying the company's fate to the opening weekend box office numbers of its first massive undertaking. It proved a worthwhile gamble, as the combination of Pixar's technical wizardry, a heartwarming story and a voice cast headlined by and propelled Toy Story to an impressive $30 million opening weekend (en route to a global haul of $365 million). Days later, Pixar closed at $39 per share after its first day of trading, the once-struggling company now valued at $1.5 billion. While the success made Jobs a very wealthy man, he realized there was a lot more to be made from the licensing revenue that was fully flowing into Disney's coffers. In 1997, Disney CEO Michael Eisner agreed to a new five-movie deal in which the two sides split all costs and profits, placing Pixar on equal footing with the company that had dominated the animation industry for the past 60 years. Jobs saw Pixar as a side project For Jobs, who sold NeXT to Apple and made a triumphant return to his old company in 1997, Pixar remained something of a side project; day-to-day operations were left to Lasseter and CTO Ed Catmull, the boss only showing up about once per week. When he did appear, employees took note of the kinder, gentler Jobs in their presence. The tempestuous CEO who publicly dressed down underlings was all but nonexistent here, replaced by one willing to listen and address potentially embarrassing situations in private. Furthermore, Pixar's top-grade creative team grew to value his input. According to Catmull, Jobs had a knack for cutting to the core of a film's problems after an early screening, his insight serving as a "gut punch" that often sparked significant improvements. He sold Pixar for $7 billion just two decades after Jobs bought to company Following the smashing success of Monsters, Inc. in 2002, Jobs again sought to negotiate a more favorable deal from Eisner. His attempt at hardball left the two at an impasse, but Jobs eventually found a more receptive audience with the arrival of new Disney CEO Bob Iger in 2005. When Iger offered to buy Pixar outright, Jobs made sure his top two lieutenants, Lasseter and Catmull, were okay with the transaction, before ensuring they were given full reign to run Disney Animation. He left the company for good with the completion of a $7.4 billion sale in January 2006, going on to cement his legacy in his final years at Apple while his old gang kept the hits coming with movies like Cars (2006), WALL-E (2008), Up (2009) and continuing the Toy Story franchise. While Jobs didn't design the graphics or create the characters that made Pixar a household name, his stewardship provided the means for an oddball group of creatives to find their footing and become the driving force behind some of the most successful and popular films of the past 20 years. As Lasseter and Catmull noted in a statement after Jobs died in October 2011: "Steve took a chance on us and believed in our crazy dream of making computer-animated films; the one thing he always said was to simply 'make it great.' He is why Pixar turned out the way we did and his strength, integrity, and love of life has made us all better people. He will forever be a part of Pixar's DNA."

Prompt

I want you to act as a storyteller using the story spine structure. You will use the paragraphs I provide below and convert them into a story using the story spine.

Here is story spine structure.

Once upon a time: Set the scene and introduce the characters. (1-2 Sentences)
Every day: Outline the events that take place on a regular basis in the story. (1-2 Sentences)
One day: Introduce a significant event that changes the course of the narrative. (1-2 Sentences)
Because of that: Explain the cause and effect of the event introduced in the previous step. (1-2 Sentences)
Because of that: Explain the cause and effect of the event introduced in the previous step. (1-2 Sentences)
Until finally: Deliver a resolution of the conflict or problem. (1-2 Sentences)
And ever since then: A brief summary of the aftermath of the events that took place. (1-2 Sentences)

Paragraphs: {insert steve jobs narrative}

💡 Tip: If you story is really long break it into large chunks and ask ChatGPT to make those more concise before attempting the story spine.

Output From ChatGPT ( after a few tweaks from me)

Once upon a time, there was a CEO and founder who loved melding technology and art named Steve Jobs who owned an animation company.
Every day he would lose tons of money trying to make the first computer-animated feature film. $1million dollars every year for $5years.
One day they released a movie called Toy Story which went on to make an astonishing $362 million worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing film of 1995.
Because of that, a week after "Toy Story" was released, Steve Jobs took it public. It became the biggest IPO of the year. Jobs raised $140 million. And if you remember those days, it was the same year Netscape went public. Pixar's IPO was bigger.
Because of that, Pixar changed everyone's childhood and created
"A Bug's Life" (1998)
"Toy Story 2" (1999)
"Monsters, Inc." (2001)
"Finding Nemo" (2003)
"The Incredibles" (2004)
"Cars" (2006)
Until Finally Disney purchased Pixar on May 5, 2006. Pixar is credited with saving Disney animation, which at the time was struggling mightily.
And ever since that day - Whenever we watch a Pixar movie we think of Steve Jobs.



What would you be without a spine? Probably a pile of mush on the ground. The same goes for your stories.




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