How to Write Better Stories With the Thematic Square
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- Опубликовано: 7 фев 2023
- Robert McKee is a renowned author and lecturer who has influenced the work of folks such as John Cleese and William Goldman. His thematic square is a tool for writers to better plot and plan their story’s themes, based on the idea that “Life…is subtle and complex, rarely a case of yes/no, good/evil, right/wrong.”
Try using McKee’s thematic square to improve your own writing! Having a better understanding not only of your theme, but also the characters and plot surrounding it, will only help you write better stories.
//THE NEVER-ENDING END OF THE WORLD | PRE-ORDER NOW//
We're thrilled to finally announce that Campfire Publishing is releasing bestselling author Ann Christy’s new Sci-Fi epic, THE NEVER-ENDING END OF THE WORLD, on August 8th, 2023. You can pre-order a physical copy or e-book now. Get the e-book for just $0.99 USD if you pre-order! The audiobook will be coming at a later date.
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//VIDEO CREDITS//
Script and audio by Adam Bassett: / adamcbassett
Editing by @4bs_ben
Thumbnail, character animations, and additional editing by Cole Field: / acolefield
//ADDITIONAL RESOURCES//
K.M. Weiland on the Thematic Square: www.helpingwritersbecomeautho...
Robert McKee’s video lessons: / @robertmckeestory
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//AFFILIATE LINKS//
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The way this video feels like it was written for ME because of how perfect it solves all my problems
OK. I see this working *_incredibly well_* for making sure a stories _controlling idea_ (the very thing a story is trying to get across more than anything else) is more or less *perfectly mapped* to any given plot.
...but what about all the other themes that will crop up as you hash a story out? Are you meant to sort of do squares within the main square - or even off to the side - to make sure everything is as nicely mapped as it is for a stories controlling idea? Wouldn't that get *_really messy_* after a while?
No formulaic plotting or writing tool will *always* work the way it's intended. You might need to create multiple squares, if you are using them, for multiple themes, or for multiple plotlines if they express the same theme in different ways. It's okay to deviate from the formula and try a different version of it out!
@@AroundTheCampfire And what happens when one of those other squares ends up contradicting what you have in the main square?
Or is that even something that can even happen in the first place?
@@iwyt3995 I don't think it's unreasonable-if you have multiple character arcs and themes-for some of them to be a bit contradictory. You might want to work on them a bit to make the themes work better together, or dig in and embrace the contradiction. You might be able to use it to say something about the difference between the themes if you do. It's kind of up to you and what the best way is to tell the story you want to tell, as far as I'm concerned.
📘 We're publishing a book! 📘 A massive thanks to everyone involved: Ann Christy, our editor B.K. Bass, and cover artist Tom Edwards. Plus the entire team at Campfire who helped edit and refine the story-and to Cole for his work on the illustrations you saw in this video! THE NEVER-ENDING END OF THE WORLD has been a massive project, and we can't wait to get it in your hands.
Read more about the book and how we got involved publishing it: bit.ly/3YAoMs8
Pre-order NEEW (and take advantage of that $0.99 e-book pre-order offer!) 👇
Amazon: amzn.to/3DSariR
B&N: bit.ly/3YfDGEn
Kobo: bit.ly/3YvNOZx
An audiobook version will also be available at a later date.
Why so loud annoying background music.....
Great video, Adam! Theme has always confused me so this was great for clarity :-)
Glad it was helpful!
Is this another term for four square opposition. Or is four square opposition soley with connecting themes with characters, but with a thematic square as long as you have the aspect of the theme explored you dont necessarily need a character to represent it. I find with whenever im trying to write a 4 corner opposition chart, i can get 3/4 of the characters, but i cant seem to bind the last corner to a character, but i have ideas of how i could explore that theme without it being represented by a character
Looks pretty similar. It's possible that McKee took some inspiration from this, but not sure! The thematic square specifically applies to theme and story structure.
Hey man, since you read Mckee maybe you can help me.
-1. Could you help me figuring out the difference between activity, action and event ?
-2. What is a beat ? And how is it different from activity, action and event ? Thanks man
Activity is the text: what characters say and do on the surface. Beneath the surface of activity, there is subtextual behavior, an action taken in pursuit of a desire; for example, begging. Activity is the specific way a character begs.
An event (aka scene) is a turning point. The scene has to turn form positive to negative or negative to positive; for example, alive/dead. (Or doubly positive, doubly negative)
A scene is made up of beats of behavior that are shaped around the turning point. A beat is subtextual action/reaction. For example, the reaction to begging might be shooting, but that's just activity; the actual reaction might be 'making him shut up'. Thus, the scene turns from alive to dead.
@@The_Mystical_Man can a scene have multiple events or that would then be multiple scenes instead ?
@@shadethedon8351 Scene = event = turning point. Three different words for the same thing: change (minor, moderate, or major) that happens to a character through conflict. So, no, you wouldn't shape a scene around multiple turning points. One turning point per scene is enough.
I must add that a transition to a new event can be seamless. When a character enters or leaves the scene, most of the time this signifies as a new story event.. although it wouldn't necessarily be seen as a new scene by people reading the screenplay.
.@@The_Mystical_Man
@@jordybandsma2645 Transitions are ideally seamless, but it's not true that characters entering or leaving the scene signifies a new story event. Characters can enter and leave the scene before the turning point has been reached.
0:32 - 0:41 - On another note however... _I don't know if I completly agree with this viewpoint entirely._
Themes will crop up organically when you try to come up with a storyline, and whilst it's preferable to have a controlling idea from the get go, a storyline doesn't inherently have to have one of those either.
Not everything has to *_bludgeon_* a message down the consumer's throat and not every character has to be a _walking, talking_ *_allegory_* for something.
I do think some things in this world can _just_ be a fun cool thing rather than *_a rigid thinkpiece_* that had a very clear meta intention from the get go on the authors part ie. Dune and Game of Thrones.
That being said there will _always_ be a place for such thinkpieces with meta intentions, won't there.
Agreed, but I think we're talking about two different things. You're suggesting that themes shouldn't always be obvious-subtle ones are good too. And that the rule of cool should be utilized, which I'm here for, haha!
I'm saying that even with themes that appear organically, they need to be expressed in some form, or they don't really get noticed (not saying you have to "bludgeon" a message onto people, just that if nobody notices the theme-is it really there at all?). And that expression comes through the plot and character arcs.
For a personal example, I tend to do a bit of discovery writing, even when I plot things ahead of time. As I get more comfortable with the story and characters I'll make little one-off comments or dialogue that suggests at something that purely sounds cool to me. Then on review I typically remove it (if it isn't fitting with the rest of the scene/story) or expand on it (which sometimes ends up creating a richer character arc). If the latter happens, it usually injects some expansion upon the existing theme, or helps me uncover a new one to explore. But I couldn't communicate that new theme without making adjustments to the plot and character.
I don't know if that's helpful, but there ya' go. :D
@@AroundTheCampfire _But what are themes and controlling ideas if they are not_ *_messages?_* Is that not the purpose of having them in the first place?
I discover my themes, when I find my final climax I take a look and make a measurement: The core value and its charge + the cause of the value. I find the themes that I find through this system way deeper and subtler than forcing a theme into the story
@@jordybandsma2645 I dig that. I dig that *_a lot._*
What I like about that approach is that when you get to the 'measuring' as you put it, and when you have your entire rough draft plot laid out for you then you can see what theme's you'd like to keep and which themes you'd like to boot.
Because one might accidentally come up with themes and tropes that they might not necesarrily like or even want. So I highly agree with this method for sure!
Hello to anyone reading this, feedback would be much appreciated. Does this make sense?
Positive: Acceptance
Contradictory: Rejection
Negation: Isolation (self-imposed)
Contrary: Compromise
Yes, I think so. An alternative: rejection perceived as acceptance.
So... if your story's theme is like a question, then the Thematic Square dictates that you answer it over the course of the story four different ways
Yes... Positive
No... Contradictory
Its complicated... contrary
I don't know... negative
Delightfully too complicated for me.
you "explained" Contrary and Negation square points like sh*t. really sad.
can you put it on perspective for us? Thanks
@@martinjasek5311Yeah they are right, the video doesn't present what McKey said in a correct way. Your character starts with a belief (positive ie : "love for someone from another group"), then there's an element that simply doesn't sit right with that belief but doesn't completely negate it (contradiction ie : "being attached to your group") then they meet the antagonism which is the radical opposite belief (contrary ie : "hate for the other group") then finally they manage to still make their belief work by shedding their false beliefs (negation of negation or : detachment from both groups).