Book Talk: Robert McKee's Story: Substance, Structure, Style, and the Principles of Screenwriting

Famous and world renowned screenwriter Robert McKee describes a beautifully told story as one that is "a symphonic unity in which structure, setting, character, genre, and idea meld seamlessly" (McKee, 1997, p. 29). While there is not a perfect blue print to follow when it comes to creating a good story, there are some components that good stories share. First and foremost, good stories have purpose. The author or creator of the story has an end in mind, and the scenes and structure of events in the story illuminate and support that purpose. A story without a purpose will be burdened by useless information and unimportant events that are not significant to the progression of the story and the resolution of the story's purpose. The goal of the storyteller is to cut any superfluous scenes-scenes that don't make a meaningful statement about the purpose being dealt with, scenes within which the characters do not experience any value shifts or metamorphoses.

There were a few occasions throughout the first half of the book where McKee referenced the parallels between creating a good story and creating a good symphony. There are multiple components required to pull off a spectacular musical performance-the musicians have to be focused on the tempo, dynamics, the conductor's gestures and cues, the sections and musicians around them. If one of these important components is sacrificed, a performance could certainly suffer considerably. For example, if the percussion section decided to play at an entirely different tempo than the rest of the orchestra, the overall performance would be compromised. Similarly, if one of the important elements to creating a story is left out by the story teller, the whole story could miss the mark. For example, if an author has a compelling plot idea, but is unable to bring life and humanity to the story's characters, the audience (the viewer or the reader) will not enjoy the story, and they will miss its purpose.

A good story includes characters that readers can sympathize with and relate to on some base level. When a story is well-written, the reader has a unique opportunity to look through the eyes of the characters involved in the story-and this is often a rewarding self-reflective process. A good story captivates and draws you in; it plays on your emotions. You care about the characters and their relationships and struggles because you see them as representative of your own. Good stories cannot be created purely on the basis of cutting-edge computer generated images, bare skin, and gratuitous violence. As stated by McKee, "the 'commercial' writer [...] is often dazzled by the glare of spectacle and cannot see that lasting entertainment is found only in the charged human truths beneath the image" (p. 25). Shock value does not a good story make. The story has to be stirring on its own-thought-provoking without the frills. I'm not saying that these elements do not have their place in stories and movies-merely that they are not the backbone of a good story.

McKee, R. (1997). Story: substance, structure, style, and the principles of screenwriting. New York, NY: Harper-Collins.