Here are the latest newsletters with details of upcoming seminars and the Genre Festival:
"Be honest in your choice of genre and write in a genre that you love. For of all the reasons to write, the only one that nurtures us through time is love of the work itself." |
- ROBERT MCKEE - |
Genre Festival 2026 |
Master Your Genre with Robert McKee |
APR 14 - MAY 14 |
TUE / WED / THU Lectures: 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM (ET) Live Q&A: 2:30 PM - 3:00 PM (ET) |
Recordings available until the end of June! |
Write What You Love |
Every writer is drawn to certain kinds of stories, tales that spark their imagination, stir their emotions, and make them say: "This is the kind of story I want to tell." These instincts aren’t random. They reveal the genres that resonate most with you, the ones where your voice will be strongest. But inspiration alone isn’t enough. Many writers set out to tell a story in their chosen genre, only to find themselves lost in the process. They know what they love, but they don’t yet know why those stories work. That’s where studying genre becomes essential. When you immerse yourself in a genre—learning its conventions, its history, its essential structures—you gain the tools to write stories that don’t just echo what’s come before, but innovate within that tradition. You discover where your unique creative vision fits, and how to structure a story that satisfies the expectations of your audience in ways it does not foresee. |
What Kind of Story Will You Tell? |
Join us online as Robert McKee teaches the techniques required for successful storytelling across five major genres. Find the genre, or combination of genres, that ignites your passion. Get your your own heart pound as you write. |
Book individual series or bundle to save up to $120. |
LOVE STORY |
April 14 - 16 |
1 PM - 3 PM (ET) | Course Info |
Fall in love with love stories as Robert teaches the history of the genre, the storytelling principles involved in crafting the consummate romance for the page, stage, or screen, and how you can mix and merge genres to create something truly unique. |
ACTION |
April 21 - 23 |
1 PM - 3 PM (ET) | Course Info |
Does your story pack a punch? McKee explores the core conventions, cast, structure and values at stake in the Action genre. Learn how to use them to hook your audience, drive your story, and pay it off with an exciting climax. |
CRIME THRILLER |
April 28 - 30 |
1 PM - 3 PM (ET) | Course Info |
Robert investigates the many conventions of Crime, the complex art of clueing, the nature of evil, and the particular perspective that characterizes the Thriller. |
HORROR |
May 5 - 7 |
1 PM - 3 PM (ET) | Course Info |
For those writers brave enough to venture into the unknown, McKee teaches you how to invade the subconscious mind, manifest a monster from it, and create an aesthetic nightmare for your audience. |
COMEDY |
May 12 - 14 |
1 PM - 3 PM (ET) | Course Info |
McKee concludes the spring program with a series on the Angry Art, outlining the unique worldview of the comic writer, the outrage and courage that fuels this pointed genre. |
Union, Student, and Genre Repeater discounts available. Contact us to see if you qualify. |
Follow McKee Seminars |
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"The comic mind has the moral strength to see life as it is, and uses art to wake us up to what is right and sane. The comic mind tells the truth." |
- ROBERT MCKEE - |
Is It Harder to Write Comedy or Drama? |
Whether you want to write dramas or comedies, know this: all writing is tough. As an artist, you must write the kind of story that expresses your deepest view of life. Writers drawn to drama fundamentally respect human nature, writing tales that say, “even under the worst of circumstances, human beings are magnificent creatures.”
Which form comes more naturally depends on how you see humanity. If your heart is stirred by human suffering, for example, tragedy may be your natural home. But if you find yourself at wit's end with human folly — with vanity, hypocrisy, and greed — then comedy is waiting for you. |
2026 Spring Program |
COMEDY |
WEBINAR SERIES |
Online: From May 12 - 14 On Demand: Until June 30 |
Robert McKee’s Genre Festival begins next week! |
In his upcoming Comedy Webinar Series, McKee teaches how to design a comedic protagonist and the cast around them, the principles of joke structure, the conventions of comedy writing, and the special worldview of the comic mind. |
Book individual genre series or bundle to save up to $120. |
Comedy: The Angry Art |
Robin Williams once stated that the source of his comedy “comes from anger, because I’m outraged by cruel absurdities, the hypocrisy that exists everywhere, even within yourself, where it’s hardest to see.” In this Q&A video, Robert McKee explains why anger is the root of all great comedy, and why comedians must be wary of getting too comfortable. |
Quote of the Week |
On anger in comedy: "When David Cross and I were generating ideas [for Mr. Show] it’s amazing how often the sentence would start with: 'You know what pissed me off?'” |
- BOB ODENKIRK - |
Award-Winning Actor, Writer, Comedian |
MR. SHOW BREAKING BAD THE GROUNDLINGS |
The McKee Collection |
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"No matter the genre at the heart of your story, you have the opportunity to create complexity through precise use of love stories to weave an enriching tapestry." |
- ROBERT MCKEE - |
Creating Complexity with Love Stories |
Love stories beat at the heart of our culture. They have inspired us for generations and shaped the way we imagine intimacy, desire, and commitment. We absorb these tales early, then carry them with us into adult life, measuring our relationships against private ideals we scarcely know we hold. Yet love stories can be more than idealistic meet-cutes, and can ask questions far deeper than "Will they or won't they?" They include tales of sexual obsession, emotional dependency, and any relationship in which the central dramatic question is "Will this relationship last? " There is not one love story, but many. Innovative writers harness this powerful versatility. Love subplots can deepen almost any genre, adding emotional force, contradiction, and complexity. On television, they have been woven into crime, action, comedy, and legal drama in works such as Ozark, Vikings, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and The Good Wife. They have also merged with stories of quiet but profound character change in films such as Lost in Translation and Sideways. We study love stories, then, not only to understand romance, but to master one of the writer’s most versatile tools: a form capable of bringing greater complexity and deeper meaning to almost any story. |
STARTING TOMORROW! |
LOVE STORY |
WEBINAR SERIES |
APRIL 14 - 16 |
Lectures: 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm (ET) Live Q&A: 2:30 pm - 3:00 pm (ET) Recordings available until June 30. |
McKee’s Spring Program kicks off tomorrow with his Love Story Webinar Series. Join us for the scheduled Zoom sessions or watch on demand when it's convenient for you. Discover the timeless principles of this dominant genre, learn to identify and innovate its dramatic conventions, and how to mix and merge it with other genres to enhance your telling. |
Book individual genre series or bundle to save up to $120. |
Love Stories as Subplots |
McKee discusses the nature and function of love subplots in Crime Thrillers, with reference to David Fincher's Seven. |
Quote of the Week |
"I'm always a sucker for a love story." |
- SOFIA COPPOLA - |
Academy Award-Winning Writer, Director |
LOST IN TRANSLATION |
The McKee Collection |
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"Like all genres, horror rewrites its conventions in reaction to the changing attitudes and values of society." |
- ROBERT MCKEE - |
The Evolution of Horror |
Every era redefines horror in its own image. The Gothic nightmares of the 19th century (FRANKENSTEIN, DRACULA) reflected fears of scientific overreach and moral decay. The advent of the Atomic Age ushered in radioactive mutations (GODZILLA, THEM!) while the Cold War paranoia of the 1950s manifested in malevolent doppelgängers (INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS). Ours is an age of compound nightmares, from economic and man-made disasters to gender wars and personal traumas. Today’s storytellers have responded with tales tackling the internal horrors of grief, mental illness and childhood trauma (MIDSOMMAR, THEY LOOK LIKE PEOPLE, SMILE). At the same time, writers are producing stories speaking to the torments imposed by external societal forces related to class, race and bodily autonomy (GET OUT, IMMACULATE, THE SUBSTANCE). Horror stories give form to our fears. By delving into our deepest anxieties, the storyteller allows us to confront the monster and expiate those emotions through the safe experience of art. |
2026 Spring Program |
HORROR |
WEBINAR SERIES |
Online: From May 5 - 7 On Demand: Until June 30 |
In his upcoming Horror Webinar Series, McKee teaches the sources of horror, the hidden worlds within reality, how to create a horror cast, and the secret to writing a monster that will terrify audiences for generations to come. |
Student, Union and Repeater Discounts may apply. |
Common Mistakes in Horror Writing |
In this clip from the Q&A portion of McKee’s 2021 Horror series, Robert teaches the most common mistakes horror writers make to undermine their stories. |
Quote of the Week |
"What's so exciting and unstoppable about the horror genre is that I view it as metaphorical exploration. It's the safe place that we, as a culture, can deal with things that upset and frighten us - the darker side of our nature." |
- MIKE FLANAGAN - |
Award-Winning Screenwriter, Director, Producer |
THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE |
The McKee Collection |
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"In a genre as ubiquitous as action, repetition wears archetypes to the nub." |
- ROBERT MCKEE - |
Action’s Greatest Villain |
Our love of Action begins when play becomes adventure. As we go from crawling on all fours to tottering on two to running from room to room, our imaginations transform climbing a flight of stairs into an assault on a fortress. The living room rug becomes a battleground and toys become heroes and villains. Action, because of its popularity, has become one of the most demanding storytelling genres. In the last century alone, tens, perhaps hundreds of thousands of iterations have played out across page, screen and game. Clichés litter the action landscape. Like the prolific genres of Crime and Horror, the immense volume of Action writing has brought the form to saturation point. How can you invent an Action sequence fans haven’t seen or read ad infinitum in the past? What will you do to create not just a good Action story but a unique one? Originality is the Action writer’s greatest challenge. The cliché is the Action writer’s greatest villain. |
2026 GENRE FESTIVAL |
ACTION |
WEBINAR SERIES |
Online: From April 21 - 23 On Demand: Until June 30 |
The Art of Excitement |
The second webinar series in Robert McKee’s Genre Festival empowers writers to win the war against Action clichés. Join us as Robert teaches the core principles essential to every Action writer, the structure of Action stories, how to design set pieces in order to maximize the excitement of your audience, and the strategies and knowledge you need to create a truly original Action story. |
Book individual genre series or bundle to save up to $120. |
The Danger of Complex Action Villains |
In this clip from a live Q&A session following McKee's "The Foundation of Action" webinar, Robert explains how creating sympathy for a villain can risk the audience's excitement, and why writers must be careful when introducing detailed backstories for their antagonists. |
Quote of the Week |
"Action only works for me if you care about the characters. If the hero’s not taking some kind of a journey, then there are no stakes—and no stakes, then you don’t care if he lives, or dies, wins or loses." |
- BRANDON LEE - |
Actor |
THE CROW |
The McKee Collection |
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"Crime audiences look for clues. Thriller audiences look for surprise." |
- ROBERT MCKEE - |
The Puzzle and the Nightmare |
From the moment the first civilized society wrote down laws, those laws were broken. Out of that tension came stories of crime and criminals. But long gone are the days when every crime story reassured its audience that justice will prevail. Few of us are so naive, least of all writers. As a subgenre of crime, the thriller shares the same essential roadmap. Yet it treads its own path with unique intentions, eliciting distinctive reactions and satisfying different expectations.
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McKee's Spring Program Begins in 3 Weeks! |
CRIME |
WEBINAR SERIES |
Online: From April 28 - 30 On Demand: Until June 30 |
Robert McKee’s acclaimed Genre Festival is fast approaching! In his 3-part Crime Thriller series, McKee explores everything from the conventions and fourteen subgenres of crime, how to handle clues, the evolution of the thriller, and the amazing range of possibilities available to you when you decide to use crime as a story driver. |
Book individual genre series or bundle to save up to $120. |
Understanding Your Genre |
Robert McKee explains how to learn, and sometimes break, the conventions of your chosen genre. |
Quote of the Week |
"I’ve always been drawn to the extremes of human behavior, and crime fiction is a great way to explore the lives and stories of fascinating people." |
- NICK PETRIE - |
Award-Winning Thriller Novelist |
THE DRIFTER |
The McKee Collection |
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McKee Seminars | Two Arts, Inc.
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