McKeeStory

As STORY Seminar alumni, you may be wondering how the upcoming summer program compares to the content covered during the spring session. Broadly speaking, these new webinar series allow Robert the time to go into much greater depth and detail about specific aspects of story than he could afford to do given the grand scope of the STORY Seminar. Below, we’ve set each summer webinar series in the context of the spring’s STORY Seminar to show how they build upon the foundation it established.  

During the STORY Seminar you learned about the general structure of stories and the fundamental principles of classical story design. In this series, Robert expands the discussion to encompass the broader spectrum of possibilities available to you as a writer. He’ll cover everything from the subtle storytelling of personal dramas to the experimental art of the avant-garde. You can expect many more examples illustrating the principles discussed, and some new insights into the relationship between the meaning of your story and its form, your understanding of the world and its expression through choices of setting, plot, character, genre and more.

In the STORY Seminar you were taught about the building blocks of scenes, beats, and the turning points that change the charge of the value at stake. While working on Story 2, Robert identified 7 distinct forms that these changes can take. This series will therefore provide deeper insight into scene dynamics than ever before. You’ll be getting a sneak preview of some Story 2 content, as Robert draws a comprehensive picture of how scenes turn and why you would want to choose one form over another.

Throughout the STORY Seminar you were introduced to the various levels of the self, and received a primer on the concept of character dimensions as they relate to cast design. This new series greatly expands on the introduction you received in STORY. McKee will show you how to develop not only a complex central character, but an effective and efficient supporting cast whose constellation of interrelations draws out your protagonist’s unique dimensions without cluttering your story. 

Robert has only briefly touched on this topic in the STORY Seminar (and book), so it will be completely new content. It’s not uncommon for writers to possess an abundance of skill but no subject to which they can apply it. When seeking inspiration, it can be tempting to consider adapting an existing work to a new medium. While it may seem like a shortcut, this path presents many pitfalls to unwary writers in search of a subject. Adaptation is rarely a matter of transposition, rather it calls for reinvention. Robert will explore the strengths and weaknesses that characterize each major storytelling medium, highlighting the differences you need to be aware of when shifting stories between them and offering strategies for doing so effectively.