Should the Inciting Incident Evoke Only One Major Dramatic Question?
Robert McKee explores the many questions raised by the inciting incident.
How Can a Character’s Destiny Be Compatible with Free Will?
Robert McKee explains how the difference between free will and destiny depends on your vantage point.
Does the Medium Matter When Writing Dialogue?
Does the medium matter when writing dialogue? McKee discusses how dialogue should create beats of behavior no matter the medium.
Can You Be Successful Without Learning Story Craft?
McKee debunks the myth of overnight screenwriting success and discusses its perils.
Why Is the Best Writing On TV?
McKee discusses the key differences between writing for a TV series versus writing for film.
How Important Is Backstory When Creating Characters?
McKee explains how a character evolves through the writing process and the perils of procrastination.
How to Bring Subtext to the Surface Without Writing on the Nose
In this short lesson, Robert McKee uses an example from the classic CHINATOWN to explain how to handle the layers of subtext in a scene to avoid on-the-nose dialogue.
How to Write a Treatment that Sells
Robert McKee advises how to get the story you want to tell from the page to the screen, and how to protect your writing.
What Are the Rules for the Inciting Incident?
Robert McKee teaches the basics of the inciting incident.