Coffee Break No. 21: Robert McKee Talks About Story
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DY5pBHehNoQ] [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGf0w0eBCP4]
story
Storytellers
[tweetmeme source=”jjdanz” only_single=false service=bit.ly] Every time I listen to the pile of music stuffed onto my hard drive, I am constantly reminded of the difficulty of good storytelling. In music, as in writing, it’s not only the story, but how the story is told. Below I’ve posted a few videos of those artists I hold …
The Trick of Writing
Millions of people doing their thing on any part of this earth at any given time have great story ideas swimming in their head (to wit). There is a subset of people who try to get those ideas from their heads onto paper in the form of writing, visual arts or music. Within …
How do you get to Carnegie Hall?
Focusing on short stories for a bit has done wonders to help me economize my words and write with more clarity
Twisted Mister
I’m a pretty linear thinker. I’m also content to read books and watch movies and let the plot unfold without a whole lot of guessing about what’s going to happen. As a writer, this doesn’t serve me well. But I forge ahead anyway, looking for ways to sift through the mound of cliches clogging up …
Latest Reads
I finally finished Neal Stephenson’s Quicksilver a few weeks ago. I had planned to hit Don Quixote next, but, for reasons too complicated and too boring to recount, I opted for 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. I’m a little over half way through and I have to say that I’m getting more and more resentful …
Almost There
I hit 90k words yesterday. Things are coming along well enough for the first draft. The story lines are coming to a head and the ending is in site. I figure I’ll have about 110k first draft words after the dust settles. With a little luck, some of it will be good and worth keeping. …
What Makes a Good Story?
Drifting through the ether of the interwebs, I’ve come across numerous accounts of what makes a good story. Here. Here. And here, for example. Commentors weave common answers related to plot, characterization, diction and so forth into the ongoing discussion. Along with techniques, style and the story itself, the reader’s predilections also determine what makes …