Quote of the Day: Robert McKee

If the story you’re telling is the story you’re telling, you’re in deep shit.

Quote of the Day: F. Scott Fitzgerald

Draw your chair up close to the edge of the precipice and I’ll tell you a story.

Quote of the Day: Henry David Thoreau

Not that the story need be long, but it will take a long while to make it short.

Quote of the Day: Robert Bresson

My movie is born first in my head, dies on paper; is resuscitated by the living persons and real objects I use, which are killed on film but, placed in a certain order and projected on to a screen, come to life again like flowers in water. 

John Truby on Story

Inktip recently interviewed John Truby, one of the most highly respected and sought-out screenwriting instructors / script consultants in the business. Here’s what they talked about:

Question: What questions should a writer ask him or herself prior to crafting their story?

John Truby: Most writers can’t tell at the premise stage whether they’ve got a good story because they don’t have the training to see the deep structural problems in the idea before writing it as a script.
The extraordinary fact is 99% of writers fail at the premise. This is the great unknown gatekeeper that keeps most writers from being successful. If you screw up the premise, nothing you do later in the writing process will make any difference. The game’s already over.

The biggest mistakes writers make at the premise:

1. The idea is not original.
2. The idea doesn’t have a clear desire line for the hero that extends throughout the story.
3. The idea doesn’t have a strong main opponent.

Quote of the Day: E.M. Forster

The King died and then the Queen died. That is a story. The King died and then the Queen died of grief. That is a plot.

Quote of the Day: GK Chesterton

The Iliad is only great because all life is a battle, the Odyssey because all life is a journey, the Book of Job because all life is a riddle.

Quote of the Day: Henry David Thoreau

Not that the story need be long, but it will take a long while to make it short.

Quote of the Day: Greg Marcks

A structural approach to screenwriting requires patience and discipline, but the rewards are great. You might find if you spend three weeks hammering out your story, the actual screenwriting will take only a week.

Because Robert McKee Said So: Notes from the Master

I recently participated in a free teleconference put on by the ISA with the legend himself, Robert McKee. Robert had a proliferation of valuable advice to dispense over the hour-long Q&A session, and I did my best to take notes on what I found to be his most interesting points. Here are some highlights:

• Robert was repeatedly annoyed by questions about the “biggest” mistakes or the “best” way to do something because he doesn’t believe in pre-packaged writing tools. (However, he did indulge the group with some examples of “big” mistakes, “better” ways, etc.)
• One major mistake that beginning writers tend to make is being impatient. Don’t put an explosion on the first page and then go back and explain what happened in subsequent pages. It’s sloppy storytelling and experienced readers won’t be impressed. Take the time to establish your characters and your world in a beautiful way.
• On the topic of mixing genres, Robert said that mixing genres can help dimensionalize characters – if all they do is fall in love, they’re not going to be an interesting character. We also mix genres to try to create a film that hasn’t been seen before. Everything has been done – no one is going to invent an entirely new genre. Robert thinks that innovative films of the future will come from writers merging genres.