randy obrien

I found Robert McKee's Story a helpful and informative handbook for writers. I haven't taken his weekend course, but I know some writers who have, and they've all said it was well worth the time and money. McKee is a renowned screenwriter and storyteller who has been teaching the craft of storytelling for more than 40 years. Numerous writers, filmmakers, and other creatives use his teachings to create powerful stories. He believes there's a universal foundation for all great stories built on the foundation involving strong characters and plot structure. McKee bases his methods on the principles of classical storytelling, which focus on character development, plot structure, and theme. He also emphasizes how important it is to understand each character's motivations to create a compelling story. In addition, he believes that all stories should have a clear beginning, middle, and end to ensure that it resonates with an audience. McKee's ideas are practical b...

Once you've decided on the question or issue you want to write about, it's time to construct a series of events that best place your diametrically opposed characters in direct and indirect conflict. The protagonist and antagonist work best when they both explore the same issue but with differing world views. For example, in Star Wars, the question is, "Is good stronger than evil." If you believe that democratic power comes from the wishes of the ordinary people, then Luke Skywalker is the protagonist. On the other hand, Darth Vader's world view is that power comes from a select, small group of people who believe control comes from a religious designation governing the people. How you portray this conflict is best described over two thousand years ago by the Greek philosopher Aristotle in his work Poetics. I highly recommend you read his principles on writing. He advised playwrights of the time that a story should include fear, pity, and eventually, catharsis for a...

When planning a story, think of what form the story might take. The format can be a short story, novel, screenplay, play, graphic novel, poem, song, but remember, the way it's told is not as important as what you're trying to say. For example, you may start a story as a play and realize it would be better told as a screenplay, etc. There are expectations in all of these formats, and deciding before you start can save time. I think it's good to start with one kind of format before you begin. Now, it's time to produce characters to explore the theme of your story. I like to use Star Wars as an example of how a theme helps create characters. You can, of course, do this the other way round. The essay here is called one way, not the only way. To me, the theme of Star Wars is "Is good stronger than evil?" We've all read novels, short stories, seen movies, and television shows where this question is asked. Most times, good proves stronger, but on occasion, evil w...

What is your passion? When I was teaching creative writing, I asked the students their favorite movie or television show? The answers ranged from the best of Disney to the classics to smart-alecky attempts at humor. Your greatest strength in telling your story is your point of view. No one has ever lived the same life as you, had the same experiences at the same time as you, or expressed themselves the same way as you. Unfortunately, this is also your greatest weakness. Your point of view may seem like some other artist, but it's never going to be the same. When someone reads and evaluates your work, they're looking for something new, but not that new. They want something just a bit different than what everyone else is producing. But you must be true to your vision of your story, and if you get as close to creating the story in your mind as possible, you're a success. If anyone else likes what you've done, that is icing on the cake. Your first customer is you. If your w...

One Way to Write Your Story    1.        Anything can be a good subject for your story. What is your passion: sports, justice, love, family? 2.        Create an extraordinary character (protagonist) who shares that same passion. What will they do if they don’t presently have it or are about to lose it? Next, create a character (antagonist) who shares an equal amount of desire and goes for the same thing as the protagonist. 3.        A plot is a series of events that explores the theme. Fate vs. Free Will. Is good stronger than evil? What makes a family? What is justice? And allows the protagonist and the antagonist to battle against each other over aspects of the theme through words or actions. 4.        Choose who will tell the story, a narrator (third person) or one of the characters (first person), and use description and dialogue to engage the reader’s mi...

It's happened for me a number of times in the past. I've sat with students and encouraged them to pursue a particular line of interest involving their talents. It doesn't cost anything and it can make a big difference especially in a young person's life when they realize that someone else sees in them something that's maybe worth pursuing in the future. And a smile is good too.