{"id":95662,"date":"2023-03-04T22:31:00","date_gmt":"2023-03-05T02:31:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=95662"},"modified":"2023-03-16T10:48:15","modified_gmt":"2023-03-16T14:48:15","slug":"robert-mckee-quotes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/robert-mckee-quotes\/","title":{"rendered":"4 Robert McKee Quotes About Stories to Enlighten & Inspire You"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Why do humans seek out stories? How do stories impact society? What does Robert McKee think would make life a lunatic asylum?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stories are mysterious. Like music, they have an emotional power over us that\u2019s impossible to explain. However, in his book Story<\/em>, screenwriter and storytelling expert Robert McKee argues that stories\u2019 emotional power is not only explainable but also something you can learn to create.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep reading for four Robert McKee quotes from Story<\/em> that capture the essence of the book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Robert McKee Quotes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We’ve selected four Robert McKee quotes and provided them along with some context and explanation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen we want mood experiences, we go to concerts or museums. When we want meaningful emotional experience, we go to the storyteller.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

McKee argues that, contrary to popular belief, we don\u2019t seek out stories primarily as a way to escape our boring or unpleasant reality. Rather, we\u2019re obsessed with stories because they fill a core human need: We need to find meaning<\/em>, truth about the world that influences how we live our lives. <\/strong>When we encounter new meaning, it\u2019s an intense, emotionally satisfying experience, and it\u2019s a craving for this experience that motivates us to seek stories. The best stories are rich in meaning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe can’t go around saying and doing what we’re actually thinking and feeling. If we all did that, life would be a lunatic asylum.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

McKee recommends outlining both text<\/em> and subtext<\/em>. You write in extreme detail what happens in each scene and what each character is thinking and feeling. If you\u2019re creating a story<\/a> that\u2019s true to life, this internal subtext will often contradict what the characters superficially appear to be doing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSecure writers don’t sell first drafts. They patiently rewrite until the script is as director-ready, as actor-ready as possible. Unfinished work invites tampering, while polished, mature work seals its integrity.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

McKee notes that any one of the three steps of the writing process (outline, treatment, final draft) might require extensive revision. You might fail to realize that your story doesn\u2019t work until after you\u2019re halfway through writing dialogue. In this case, McKee asserts that you must work up the courage to throw out anything that doesn\u2019t work, no matter how much time you spent writing it. After you\u2019ve done this, you\u2019ll be left with a powerful, well-written story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA culture cannot evolve without honest, powerful storytelling. When a society repeatedly experiences glossy, hollowed-out, pseudo-stories, it degenerates. We need true satires and tragedies, dramas and comedies that shine a clean light into the dingy corners of the human psyche and society.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Since stories are meant to fill the human need for meaning, McKee asserts that good stories are always true to life<\/em>. This doesn\u2019t mean that good stories have to be something that could realistically occur\u2014rather, every detail in a good story reflects life as it truly is.<\/strong> McKee explains that even stories that are totally detached from reality convey truth about life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Why do humans seek out stories? How do stories impact society? What does Robert McKee think would make life a lunatic asylum? Stories are mysterious. Like music, they have an emotional power over us that\u2019s impossible to explain. However, in his book Story, screenwriter and storytelling expert Robert McKee argues that stories\u2019 emotional power is not only explainable but also something you can learn to create. Keep reading for four Robert McKee quotes from Story that capture the essence of the book.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":54707,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[40,34],"tags":[938],"class_list":["post-95662","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-books","category-communication","tag-story","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"\n4 Robert McKee Quotes About Stories to Enlighten & Inspire You - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Screenwriter and storytelling expert Robert McKee believes in the power of stories. 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