Story [Hardcover]

I've taken screenwriting courses and seminars, been to a university for film and creative writing, and I can safely say McKee's book is the purest form of breaking down screenwriting I've ever read. From stem to stern, the book is a road map to developing your screenplay in a systematic, thorough and fleshed out manner, leaving no major stone unturned, revealing all the working parts. If you are a beginner or well rounded writer, there is plenty to be gained by McKee's perspective. Some of the material in here has been glanced or appropriated by other screenwriting books, but none do the in depth look like 'story' does.

'Story' can at time be a very mechanical read, simply because of the vast amounts of information he is delivering. The book is also (thankfully) not going to tell you where to find material to write about, or suggest what kind of material to develop. This book illuminates the conventions of screenwriting, so having a working knowledge of structure is a bonus in pushing you through the book. Regardless, the book can be inspiring and empowering, giving you insight into potential holes in your craft or literating concepts that are elusive.

In my experience books tested and proven before being written tend to be the best. A prime example - Angela's Ashes, won the Pulitzer Prize, fine tuned by the author McCourt doing a one man show talking about his wicked cruel childhood, growing up in Limerick, Ireland.

In the same way, Story evolved out of McKee giving lectures, and now, he continues to spread the word.

McKee is definitely an antagonist as opposed to a protagonist, and in person a funny and engaging fellow, and an excellent teacher. As you might expect, he does know how to tell a funny story, and he had a little fun at the expense of some of the sacred cows in the industry. I particularly liked his rant about Roger Ebert, who took his name in vain once but never again.

Anyway, the book shines a bright light on the elements of story. Conflict is to story what sound is to music. Story trumps dialogue in importance. Setups, payoffs, turning points, structure, inciting incident, protagonist vs antagonist, resonating and contrasting subplot, negation of the negation. Emotional value of scenes. Arc of the character. Act structure, rhythm and pacing. Text and subtext, beats, exposition. Character, dimension, step outline. All this and so much more.

Perhaps the most important single thing I learned from McKee is..treatment. The character treatment may be twice as long as the screenplay. This is the key difference between aspiring screenwriters, and successful ones.

I open my book, and look at his personal inscription to me, which I am sure he has written to many others... "Write the truth." I will, Mr McKee, I will. I trust you find this helpful.

Knowing story is like knowing life.

Everything he writes are also fundamentals of how the universe works. Very few people achieve writing with bang for buck in mind. McKee achieves this well... and I can tell he writes like a screenwriter because of that fact.

It's compressed with invaluable information about stories. He knows and understands how the fundamentals of story works and the chemical balance of what's unfolding. These inner workings are also applicable to things beyond story. To read this book... will tell you everything you need to know to solidify your storytelling skills... especially when you learn to relate it to everything else.

However, he does cut a little short on the thematic level... which he couldn't explain very well and offered poor examples of it. He does make up for that lack of thematic analysis in his review of Charlie Kaufman's screenplay "Adaptation"... in which his (McKee's) and Charlie Kaufman's character are also portrayed in "Adaptation".

But when it comes to shortcomings, the wise may not be the one to advise on the easily fascinated... meaning everyone else. McKee uses movie examples, however brilliantly created they are, that may bore the normal audience to death.

As example of McKee's mis-insights, he did not recognize the critical flaw in the first 10 pages of Kaufman's screenplay "Adaptation". Other under-the-radar writers analyzed this and would have passed Kaufman's screenplay based on it's first 10 pages. When I looked at their points, ultimately they were right. Not knowing this essential insight (connecting with the modern day audience) is probably one of the most important skills required as a screenwriter.

So if you want to be a skilled Screenwriter, grab this book. Know it inside out. The quality of your own self-learning will determine your own storytelling skills. But just know that the greatest aren't always right about everything.