Combining Genres to Create an Original Story
Robert McKee explains the benefits of combining genres as a tool to aid your construction of an original story.
The Danger of Complex Action Villains
Robert McKee explains how sympathy for a villain risks audience excitement, and why writers must be careful when introducing detailed backstories for their antagonists.
Opening Action Stories with the Mercy Scene
Robert explains how writers can avoid an anticlimax when placing the Mercy Scene at the beginning of their stories.
Should Your Antagonist Be Empathetic?
Robert McKee teaches the role empathy should play in your story, and when it might be appropriate for your audience to empathize with your antagonist.
What Makes for a Good Villain?
Robert McKee discusses the psychology every writer must understand in order to write a compelling villain.
Does the Spectacle of an Action Film Constitute Its Meaning?
Robert McKee explains how spectacle is a form of expression while answering this early question from Bass Wakil.
Character Arcs in Action Stories
Robert McKee teaches writers how to treat character arcs within the action genre, and details which action subgenre allows room for greater complexity of conflict.
Writing Characters from Different Demographics
McKee explains the process writers should go through in order to write characters fundamentally different from themselves.
Do Thriller Villains Need To Be Psychopaths?
Robert explains why a conscience can hold your Thriller antagonist back, and how the perfect villains often only care for themselves.
What Distinguishes Thrillers from Horror?
Robert McKee details the key difference between the Thriller and Horror genres.
Crime Story Conventions
Robert McKee teaches the principles writers need to consider when beginning a crime story, and just how complex the genre can become when plotting clues.
Refining Your Major Dramatic Question
Robert explains why it’s not unusual for writers to revise and change key elements of their stories during the writing process.