Robert McKee On Bad Writing

"Bad writing doesn't make the money you think it does. 

Write as beautifully and wonderfully as you can."

--Robert McKee

It can be tempting, reading that bestseller, to think: "I can write better than this."

And perhaps we can. But even if the writing is mediocre, something else is compensating. The storytelling, for instance, may be compelling--something about the plot grabs readers and refuses to let go. The characters. The world they are in. . . .  

When you're interested in a particular storyline or character and what might happen to him, it's easy to overlook elementary writing. The pages turn themselves anyway.

But books such as these (especially as bestsellers) are the exception rather than the rule.

Fact: the more we write, the better we will write.

This is why we shouldn't compare our first attempts to someone else's masterpiece.

But the idea that because a few "bad" writers made quite a bit of money we're allowed to write badly, too? 

No. 

There may seem to be exceptions to the rule, but 99 times out of 100 bad writing is bad writing, and bad writing gets trashed (or rejected, or poorly reviewed). 

A better idea? 

Tell your story and tell it as beautifully as you know how.

Be Brilliant!

~Katie~ 

Which Came First?

The chicken or the egg?

Or . . . . which came first?

The character

The title

The climax

The first sentence

The last sentence

A funny line

A tragedy

A name

An interest

A desire

A need

There is no wrong place to begin brainstorming a story. 

For Cross My Heart, the idea came from a song ("November Rain"), and Jaden (as a perfectionist) arrived first. For Rise, Fallon's name came first, and that she was a musician (a rock star violinist) second. For All I Never Wanted, the idea about a girl in a rehab facility came from a movie I'd recently watched, and for my latest WIP (work in progress), the villain arrived before anyone else.

The point?

Ideas can show up anywhere and at any time, and while they rarely show up fully formed, there is no right or wrong "first."

There is no order in creativity.

The act of creating is messy.

Anything that pops into your head can be built upon, so take that little nugget from the universe (a gift, really) and make that story happen.

Be Brilliant!

~Katie~

How Characters Reveal Themselves

Characters will reveal themselves differently for every new story person they meet.

They, like us, will behave in disparate ways with everyone. 

Our job (as writers) is to know our characters so deeply that we can predict how they will react to certain people. 

Perhaps our main character grew up with an abusive father. She's going to be skittish around that new love interest who is nothing but nice to her.

Perhaps he had a bad experience with a former manager. He might approach his new boss with trepidation.

Perhaps she loved her grandfather who served in the war. She's likely to treat the elderly and/or the soldiers she meets with respect.

Perhaps he hates his mother. He'll likely hate all women, but not at first. At first, he will be charming, but this is just a game, and he'll eventually grow tired of it.

Now . . . what if these were the same two characters?

Our character's histories, their likes and dislikes, etc. will all inform their behaviors in some unique way, and this should be taken into consideration as they interact with the other characters in your story.

If Character A doesn't react differently to Character B than he does Character C, is he really human (i.e. complex)? 

Ask yourself: How does my character act and react around this person? 

Then plan your character's personalities accordingly. 

Be Brilliant! 

~Katie~ 

Is This Scene Working? Four Questions from Robert McKee

From Robert McKee--

Four questions to ask about every scene in your story:

What does my character want at this moment?

Who is driving the scene and making things happen?

What is stopping the character from getting what she wants?

In every scene, readers are looking for something that builds to the final turning point (the climax). The more important the scene, the longer/more detailed it should be. 

In this scene, did I create change in the character's life?

If the answers to these four questions are clearly defined: Congrats! Your scene works. 

If there's some hesitation or confusion, nail down the responses to these questions and then work your way back through the scene, strengthening it where necessary. 

And finally, if you can't answer these questions at all, it's time for a scene overhaul.

Be Brilliant!

~Katie~

What Does Your Character *Really* Want?

What does your character want?

Because confusion can only take us so far. 

Yes, characters are often confused to some degree, but if your story is going to work, at some point the character has to make a decision about what he *really* wants more than anything else in the world.

His choice is what should upset the balance in his story universe, and the actions he takes to get what he wants should drive the plot.

Now, whether the character gets what he initially wants, changes his mind about what he wants, or doesn't get what he wants (but ends up with something better/realizing he didn't want it after all) is up to you--the writer--but the end should satisfy the desire.

Be Brilliant!

~Katie~