"Loafing is the most productive part of a writer's life."  ~James Norman Hall

"Robert McKee came to India for the first time to conduct the famous ‘Story Seminar’ and left the participants spellbound." Postnoon learns about the experience at http://postnoon.com/2012/02/15/learning-from-the-master/28984

Hyderabad Story Seminar Attendee Adite Banerjie's "Guru McKee's Hyderabad Story" http://aditebanerjie.com/2012/02/14/guru-mckees-hyderabad-story/

ADAM UNPARADISED  Milton's original title for a play, eventually written as the poem Paradise Lost. "This is a brilliant example of title as dramatic premise - a whole story kernel . . ." - James McCabe

The Byrdcliffe Artist in Residence Program in Woodstock, NY is now taking applications for summer of 2012.  Month long residencies are available to visual artists, composers, playwrights/screenwriters, and writers of fiction, nonfiction and poetry in the months of June, July, August, and September. It is Byrdcliffe's mission to provide solitude in a creative community and uninterrupted time in which to concentrate on producing independent and enduring creative work alongside fellow artists. They accept international writers.  Application information: woodstockguild.org. (Jan 28, 2012)
Good luck to those who are applying for this program!

"The role of the writer is not to say what we can all say but what we are unable to say." - Anaïs Nin

Congratulations to McKee Alumni for winning the 2012 Golden Globe Award: THE ARTIST, THE DESCENDENTS, TINTIN, DOWNTON ABBY, MODERN FAMILY!!

"My pencils outlast their erasers. I have rewritten - often several times - every word I have ever published." - Vladimir Nabokov

Apocryphal or not, this six-word story has a beginning, a middle, and an end: "For sale: baby shoes, never worn." by Hemingway - courtesy of our member, James McCabe

"There is no great writing, only great rewriting."- Justice Brandeis

Doug Rice on McKee's STORY:
http://douglaserice.com/2012/01/11/fav15-robertmckee-story/

"The two most engaging powers of an author are to make
  new things familiar, and familiar things new." - Samuel Johnson

"However great a man's natural talent may be, the act of writing cannot be learned all at once" -Jean Jacques Rousseau

“A successful book is not made of what is in it, but what is left out of it.” - Mark Twain

Congratulations, Stephen Mitchell for TALIHINA SKY & its nomination for a Grammy in the Best Long Form Music Video category. Dec 3, 2011

Congratulations, Stephen Mitchell on your first film, TALIHINA SKY. TALIHINA SKY was chosen to world premiere at the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival, European premiere at Edinburgh Film Festival, and had the US TV run on Showtime networks. "Reading (and re-reading) Robert McKee's 'Story' and twice attending his Story Seminar was the best first step I took towards realizing my dream of becoming a filmmaker." Nov 2011 - STEPHEN MITCHELL
Here's a link to the trailer:  www.TalihinaSky.com

"I think, in general, people don't buy products, they buy stories." - Ty Montague

Congratulations Caner Alper!! on your award winning film ZENNE DANCER.  Caner wrote: "Mr.McKee advised me to write the truth. I tried my very best. The impact of my first feature film, ZENNE DANCER, was incredible with 5 awards including Best Film from Cinema Critics Union and Best Debut Film. World press including The Economist wrote ''A Groundbreaking Indie Film About Sex, Honour and Militarism in Modern Turkey''. Best regards from istanbul, Nov 2011 - Caner Alper

Go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiFA4G7VqVU to watch this very moving trailer!

An article from the  Irish World http://www.theirishworld.com/article.asp?SubSection_Id=1&Article_Id=20979

If you have questions for Robert McKee for the Q & A section of STORYLOGUE, please send them to Helen (helen@storylogue.com) or Mariah (mariah@storylogue.com). They will keep them safe for the next taping session. Thank you.

Congratulations, Robert Manni on his yet to be released new book THE GUYS' GUY'S GUIDE TO LOVE  is already gaining praises:  "Your seminars and book have greatly influenced my debut novel, THE GUYS' GUY'S GUIDE TO LOVE.  I enjoyed your seminars more than any classes I've ever attended and made sure that I remained mindful of your guidence of storytelling. I hope you will see how I followed your path to a tight-knit structure, but a fun story.  Thank you again for your inspiration. Good news- the NY Post, Men's Health, Yahoo Shine, and NY 1 have all requested my book and it has not even been released yet! " Robert Manni, President of Agent 16 on his debut novel.

Congratulations, Steven Williford: He just launched a new film THE GREEN (www.thegreenthemovie.com). It has already won 3 best narrative feature and 2 best direction award.  

Steven: "McKee’s STORY Seminar should be mandatory for everyone engaged in creating art. It is a remarkable, unimpeachable set of analytical tools." Steven is also an Emmy nominated director of ALL MY CHILDREN

Screenwriting Contest announcement:

The International Screenwriter's Association would like you to MEET HOLLYWOOD PRODUCERS!
Over $10,000 in Prizes. Visit www.EmergingScreenwriters.com to enter.
You MUST use this Code: F4McKee to get discount.  You will receive a free 6 month MovieMaker Magazine. The Deadline is Oct. 15th.  (10/10/11)

Dear members, starting Oct 8, we are proud to present the lessons from an Academy Award Winning Producer Ed Saxon on How Hollywood Works. He is the famed producer of PHILADELPHIA (2 Oscars), SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (5 Oscars) and of course ADAPTATION (1 Oscar) among others such as FAST FOOD NATION, MANDELA: SONE OF AFRICA (Oscar nominated). Enjoy!

Congratulations, Bertrand & Sarah! "I'd like to thank Mr McKee. Actually, thanks to his fantastic Masterclass (Paris, May 2009), we've just sold my script to a big French producer (was executive producer for Steven Spielberg & Studiocanal) yesterday. The movie is already on track (the casting is about to begin, etc.). It's a dream come true. Everything happened so fast, it's almost unbelievable... Please, tell Mr McKee that his teachings changed my life as a novelist but mainly as a scriptwriter and, above all, as a human being. All my best," - Bertrand Latour (Oct 6, 2011) & Sarah Belhassen has been a full time tv writer for 5 years for the most successful TV soap in France.

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” - Steve Jobs 1955 - 2011. Thank you, Steve Jobs ! (Oct 5, 2011)

Congratulations, Joe Skorpen: Joe just sold his first feature screenplay, HUBBY DUMPERS. "Robert McKee's teachings have been invaluable.  Without his wisdom and willingness to share it, I know this road I've been traveling would have been even more desolate." (Oct 5, 2011)

British Comedian/Actor Russell Brand attended the Los Angeles STORY Seminar last weekend. Here are his hilarious insights on Robert McKee and the STORY Seminar: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oR38zuKwl1w&feature=email  Enjoy! (Oct 1, 2011)

Congratulations, Lowell Cauffiel !! he just sold a pilot pitch and have a script deal with CBS -- a very tough network to crack. And they bought it in the room!   Working title: ESU New York. Lowell Cauffiel is a guest lecturer in our STORYLOGUE on "Pitching" lesson.
 

A Memorable quote: “Those who succeed and do not push on to greater failures are the spiritual middle-classers. Their stopping at success is proof of their uncompromising insignificance.  How petty their dreams must be.” — Eugene O'Neill

A good article to read on How to create a perfect Elevator Pitch: "Robert McKee says that turning points have to surprise, increase curiosity, and present a new direction. ... " In THE ATLANTIC http://tinyurl.com/3e44fr8

AN EXCITING NEWS FOR STORYLOGUE MEMBERS:
STORYLOGUE is iPad, iPhone and iPod FRIENDLY!! You can choose "high" or "low" bandwidth for high quality or faster (lower quality) viewing. Thank you members!! -  Through your 1 & 1/2 year of membership support, STORYLOGUE is finally able to lower the memership fee so that more people can access it. If you have paid higher price, you will get a prorated, extended membership. Thank you!

Robert McKee's STORY Groundwork
Story is about principles, not rules.
Story is about eternal, universal forms, not formulas.
Story is about archetypes, not stereotypes.
Story is about thoroughness, not shortcuts.
Story is about the realities, not the mysteries- of writing.
Story is about mastering the art, not second guessing the marketplace.
Story is about respect, not disdain for the audience.
Story is about originality, not duplication.

"How Hollywood responded to 9/11"  - a Newsday article:
"The American response to 9/11 is full of all these mixed emotions," says Robert McKee, author of "Story," the bestselling screenwriting guide. ... to read the full ariticle click: http://tinyurl.com/3bv3aa7

Those of you who are independent, edgy film makers: The Sedona International Film Festival is now accepting entries in all genres of film: Feature Narrative; Feature Documentary; Shorts (narrative, documentary and animation) plus foreign films, student films, feature animation and experimental. Visit the festival’s website for submission details, deadlines and information: www.SedonaFilmFestival.com

Story, n. Originally ‘a learning by inquiry’, from the Greek “to know” The Oxford English Dictionary.
"McKee often uses etymology to point out meaning, as in Crisis meaning Decision.  It's very interesting that story is related to knowing - not just "entertainment", and that it involves learning by enquiring - first on the part of the writer, then the reader viewer. The word etymology turns people off, but English is such an opaque accretion that finding
the original meanings helps . . ."   James McCabe, a STORYLOGUE member

If you can't annoy somebody, there's little point in writing. - Kingsley Amis

 COMEDY WRITERS NEEDED: ADA Sport, a LA based animation company, is looking for talented comedy writers for their funny, edgy and viral animation web series, “Cyber Smack,” aimed at 25s and under. If idea is accepted, pay is up to $ 300 per episode + 10% profit share. To submit your resume and writing samples (ideally 3-4 pages comedy script) or ask any question, please email it to submit@adasport.com.

For our members:  Here is a post by the writer of the recent schlockbuster CONAN THE BARBARIAN explaining how it feels to have a film you write tank so badly. Might be of interest. http://www.quora.com/Whats-it-like-to-have-your-film-flop-at-the-box-office  -  Courtesy of our member, Bass Wakil.

On Pitching - From Jack London, who said he learnt the art of storytelling by selling stuff door to door - if he didn't grab the housewife's attention in 5 seconds, it was game over . . . .

-A thought for the day : Today, self-criticism is often corrupted by the very thing that should inspire it – the writer’s education.   Robert McKee

Today's thought: A writer must use both sides of his brain, right and left, equally. It’s as if one half writes emotive poetry, the other, diagnostic criticism. - Robert Mckee 

Advertisement: Looking for a talented and experienced narrative feature film drama writer with excellent skills for doctoring scripts and problem solving.  The piece needing a little TLC is in the same vein as "A Beautiful Mind" meets "Black Swan." Some pay, but we are a small independent production company, so we don't have a huge budget.  Please email writing samples to: kellie@madisonfilms.com 

Thoughts for our Writers :The writer, like an alchemist, labors to transmute the base metal of life into the gold story.  - Robert McKee

 “Language is a tool we use not to communicate.” - Harold Pinter

“The laws of poetry command us to rise above our anger and try to see the present in the light of eternity.” -  Solzhenitsyn

 “I didn’t really understand what was happening up there, but I loved the sound of the dialogue.  It sounded like music to me, and I wanted to make that sound.”  - Aaron Sorkin  (On finding childhood inspiration in stage dialogue)

 "Anxious writers obey rules;Rebellious writers break rules; Artists master the form." - Robert McKee

“You have to have an idea of what you are going to do, but it should be a vague idea.” --Pablo Picasso

For our international members - this one is for you: “Being foreign doesn’t matter in writing films. Even if you dropped out of grammar school and every word is misspelt, it doesn't mean a thing. You are not photographing the words. If there is an idea, that's what counts. If that idea is expressed in faulty English or German, it is still there." Billy Wilder. 

 Congratulations Kim: THE CURSE OF YAMA IS AVAILABLE ON AMAZON..." Thanks so much Mr. McKee...For anyone who is an aspiring writer, Story by McKee is a must read."  - Kim F Ridley

"McKee gives the writer a set of very liberating guidelines." - Geoffrey Rush (King's Speech) on Melbourne McKee Seminar @ http://tinyurl.com/3rzb5zv

Congratulations Anita!"From 'slush pile reject' to Award Winner: Diamond Eyes had been rejected 18 time by publishers and agents in the last 10 years, each time with re-writes that never seemed to get me anywhere, until I read Story and finally gained insights into the subtle weaknesses in my themes, characters and plot, and also inspired me with the tools and options I needed to address each aspect. 

Thanks Mr McKee! After 18 other books and 160 short stories in 12 years under various pen-names for each genre, this is my first major literary award win!"  

  - AA Bell, the Writer of Diamond Eyes (published byHarperCollins Voyager), is a Storylogue member, STORY Seminar alumnus and  won Australia's prestigious 2011 ASFF Norma K Hemming Award for Excellence in Science Fiction and Fantasy Themes.

On War of Art review: http://www.tomlapille.com/blog/say-it-again/: Thank you Bass for the link.

Quote of the week:

““There are no dull subjects, only dull writers.” - H.L.Mencken 
supplied by storylogue member, James McCabe)

CONGRATULATIONS, Muriel Bolger for your Book, Consequence. Consequence is published by Hackette Books. Muriel Bolger is an alumni for McKee Story and a member of Storylogue. We will be airing her Interview with Robert McKee in the coming months. 

Book of the Week: From 1916, Ivan Bunin's parable on the limits of materialism.
In its day one of the most famous short stories . . . http://rt.com/all-about-russia/literature/ivan-bunin/the-gentleman-from-san-francisco/ivan-bunin-1870-1953-the-gentleman-from-san-francisco/

Congratulations Deniel Levin for your NY Times Bestseller "The Last Ember" and thank you for giving your gracious credit to Robert McKee's teaching.

Congratulations to the Director, Charles Ferguson, McKee Story Seminar Alumnus, for winning Oscar for Best Documentary " Inside Job".

Congratulations to McKee Story Seminar Alumni, John Lesseter, Darla Anderson & Nicole Paradis Grindle of Pixar for winning Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film!

Here is an argument for Citizen Kane...Greatest Movie Ever Made? New York Times:  http://www.patheos.com/Resources/Additional-Resources/Greatest-Movie-Ever-Made-Elijah-Davidson-02-18-2011.html

One more for the Oscar season: 6 AWARDS THAT WOULD MAKE THE OSCARS WORTH WATCHING - http://preview.tinyurl.com/6bh7m2

Read the Article on What's the Story/Robert McKee on Die Welt. Written by the inhouse Die Welt journalist, James McCabe. Go to: http://www.welt.de/print/die_welt/debatte/article12547755/Whats-the-Story.html

Read a Film Review of King's Speech on UK's Daily Mail with a quote from Robert McKee, please go to: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-1348103/What-Sooty-doing-The-Kings-Speech.html.

Congratulations Muriel Bolger for your two new book publications. Muriel's interview with Robert McKee is forthcoming on Storylogue. To get her books- please click http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_at_ep_srch?ie=UTF8&search-alias=books&field-author=Muriel+Bolger&sort=relevancerank

Congratulations Mark Whitney for the multiple award winning One Man Show/film, "Fool For a Client". He wrote it after attending the Story Seminar. Catch the full length "Fool For a Client" movie at  www.foolforaclient.tv

Congratulations Boaz Gaon!  Boaz Gaon, the head of Drama and Story Development at Slutzky Communication Channels in Israel uses Mr. McKee's principles and credits STORY for their successes.Below is the link for Washington Post Review on Boaz Gaon's latest play.http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/17/AR2011011703312.html

Dear Members: 

Our Storylogue member Bass Wakil have written his reviews of "Miss Julie Montgomery" & Reel Secrets DVD's in "Genreral Interest" section of our Storylogue Network Room.  Enjoy. 

Fun Writing from Our Member:

     Our father Aristotles, who art in Poetics, dramatized be thy structure; thy principles come, thy premise be done. On stages, as it is on screens. Give us this day our daily inspiration; And forgive us our deus ex machina's as we have forgiven our debtors of bad stories; And lead us not into exposition, but deliver us from didacticism. For thine is the crisis, and the climax, and the resolution, now and forever. Amen. Edward Olivier