(not that that's a bad thing)

Every so often I get email flyers for the McKee story seminars, okay to be honest it's more than so often, it's a pretty regular thing.  Now I haven't got anything against Robert's class.  Hell I took it.  Forked out the huge coin and went.  Did it make any difference in the way I write?  Not really.  Has it landed me a huge three picture deal in Hollywood?  Not exactly (but I'll get to that).  Did it help in any way?  Yes.

Robert McKee is not a bad man, he's not trying to scam you out of your money.  His seminar is based in the cold hard facts of story structure and character dynamics.  Bob loves structure, he loves story, and hell, he's just fun to watch.  Expensive but fun.

So while he tells everybody how to write a great story he does tend to hide the truth of the matter.  Out of the few hundred people in his audience who have shelled out the big coin only one or two will go on to write and make films.  Now you can understand why he's not going to tell you this.  He'd be talking to an empty theater or would he?  More than likely nothing would change, he still pack them in because everybody knows they would be that one or two.  Denial, not just a river in Egypt.  If you don't believe me just watch the tryouts for American Idol.  Simon's allowed to be crabby after having to listen to that lot.

"But you took the course," You say,  "and you've sold scripts."  The answer of course is yes I did but my selling scripts had little to do with Robert McKee.  Oh he had a small hand in it as did Chris Vogler, Syd Field, Lew Hunter and of course William Golding.  The two biggest impacts on my writing were making my own films and something Michael Miner (Robocop) said to me.  He said, "Make your action slugs three lines or less.  If you can't say it in three lines figure out how you can."  That was good advice.  I went through a script I was having a hard time selling and applied that to it.  It sold two weeks later.  Now that was good advice.

A lot of these script gurus are giving false hope to people with no talent, so they can line their pockets.  In fact there's plenty of this sort of graft going on in the industry.  From agents who charge fees to read (stay away from these dorks) to the script registries.   Which may or may not protect you in case of litigation.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that you need to trust your own gut.  If it feels like a scam it is.  If it promises to teach you all of the secrets about how to break in, it's full of shit.  If somebody else is going to tell you how to make your story better for a cost, walk away. 

I'll tell you the secret of selling right now.  Write a good story with characters people can care about in a situation that is unique or at the very least dramatic and they will walk through fire to buy your script.  Write a good query letter either for email or for snail mail.  Go to venues where agents and other industry professionals hang out and... hang out with them.  Buy them a beer / dinner / breakfast.  Talk to them like people not like they hold your balls in their hand, it's appreciated believe me.  Watch a crap load of films.  The first question my agent asks me when we meet is, "Have you seen any good films lately."

So, form writing groups be supportive of one and other (but critical too) and for God's sake be fearless.  You have to fail lots before you even succeed a little.

Good Writing.

Steve Abbott