"Story" by Robert McKee - Book Review by SC Skillman
Several years ago, I nearly signed on for Robert McKee’s Story Structure workshop in London – tempted by the testimonial from John Cleese, who attributed his success in creating the Fawlty Towers scripts to what he learned from this workshop. But I saw it was essentially for screenwriters, and chose to pass on it.
I have since recognised that story structure is universal, and applies not only to screenwriters, but also novelists. When I found this book in Waterstones Piccadilly, the inner voice said “Buy it!” And I obeyed. Having absorbed all that McKee has to say about story, and festooned the book with post-it notes, I believe that returning to the book from time to time will reward the writer, especially when your first draft is complete, and you're about to start working on the second draft of your WIP.
Story saturates our lives, through books, plays, the theatre, TV and radio drama, and movies; and we all respond to story instinctively. And yet if we were asked to explain why we respond as we do, and why something works or not, many of us would fall silent.
But Robert McKee does explain. One thing that has long mystified me is: “How is it that we are satisfied by a story where the protagonist does not achieve his desire?” McKee replies that “the flood of insight that pours from the gap delivers the hoped-for emotion, but in a way we could never have foreseen.” He illustrates his points with many references to famous movies.
“Story” is a demanding read; dense and sometimes even overwhelming. But its author acknowledges this at the end: “You have pursued “Story” to its final chapter and, with this step, taken your career in a direction many writers fear… I know that when confronted with a rush of insights even the most experienced writer can be knocked off stride.”
I hope for those of us working on our books that, having studied thoughtfully, as we “follow the quest for stories told with meaning and beauty,” we too may “write boldly” and produce stories that “will dazzle the world.”
I have since recognised that story structure is universal, and applies not only to screenwriters, but also novelists. When I found this book in Waterstones Piccadilly, the inner voice said “Buy it!” And I obeyed. Having absorbed all that McKee has to say about story, and festooned the book with post-it notes, I believe that returning to the book from time to time will reward the writer, especially when your first draft is complete, and you're about to start working on the second draft of your WIP.
Story saturates our lives, through books, plays, the theatre, TV and radio drama, and movies; and we all respond to story instinctively. And yet if we were asked to explain why we respond as we do, and why something works or not, many of us would fall silent.
But Robert McKee does explain. One thing that has long mystified me is: “How is it that we are satisfied by a story where the protagonist does not achieve his desire?” McKee replies that “the flood of insight that pours from the gap delivers the hoped-for emotion, but in a way we could never have foreseen.” He illustrates his points with many references to famous movies.
“Story” is a demanding read; dense and sometimes even overwhelming. But its author acknowledges this at the end: “You have pursued “Story” to its final chapter and, with this step, taken your career in a direction many writers fear… I know that when confronted with a rush of insights even the most experienced writer can be knocked off stride.”
I hope for those of us working on our books that, having studied thoughtfully, as we “follow the quest for stories told with meaning and beauty,” we too may “write boldly” and produce stories that “will dazzle the world.”
I'm the same - I always thought that the key to good writing was the vocabulary, phrasing, etc, and now I realise it's more often the way something is structured that keeps the reader's interest. Or, perhaps it's both, combined!
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