Customer Reviews

Story

5 star:		(95)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

Ten years ago, I went to McKee's seminar--big mistake. Entertaining, unlike this boring book (so the man can't write--maybe that tells us anything?) but nothing new. The finale was a movie, Casablanca, which contradicted all his "teaching" (e.g. no flashbacks! first act no longer than twenty minutes! not too much talking!--Casablanca had a great flashback, a first act of plus 30 minutes, and almost nothing but dialogue--but for Moron McKee, it was an example... ???). Casablanca was written like a novel: based on characters, changing the screenplay everyday because of the characters, no-one knowing how it would end--until the end. That is real writing. Not: concocting plots, writing outlines and backstories before writing scenes and dialogue; putting your 'inciting incident' in the first ten minutes, and all those silly rules. This is all formula and no wisdom, coming from a would-be rehashing Aristotle and Egri. And then of course there's the fact that the first McKee screenplay(successful--if any) is still to be seen. Those who can, etc.

This book is really pretty and smells good, too. WTF are these guys saying? It arrived in good condition? It's written in propeller-head style? You might as well compare it to celery. Story is one of the bibles of screenwriting, and the first 50 pages or so have impressed me enough that I'll buy it as soon as I return my copy to the library. It seems to be a thought provoking, clear, and useful book for would-be screenwriters.

I've read this book three times now, once for each of my own books, and it's been an inspiration every time. Full of practical, no-nonsense advice that clears up the muddles of writing. I've also gone to Mr. Mckee's lectures, and it's always time well invested.

I have now ploughed through seven different books on screenwriting. Robert McKee's "Story" distinguishes itself as the best in one significant way: It provides real insight into the strucure of story-telling, the techniques that make stories work and the traps that many writers fall into. This is not a paint-by-numbers approach. This book challenges you to think about the ways that people really behave, and how that can be translated in a meaningful way to the silver screen.

If you are going to read just one book on screenwriting, this is the one. I am not sure I will mention Robert McKee in my acceptance speech when I receive my Academy Award for best screenplay , but I might send him a case of champagne ;-)

Not an exaggeration at all. I've never read a better book on writing (and not just screenwriting either). This book transcends all forms of literature. Absolutely amazing.

Story by Robert Mckee is one of the best pieces of literature these old bones have had the pleasure of holding. Every single sentence is chalked full of mountains of wealth. It's like reading Beowulf, without the wolf. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then McKee makes a word worth a thousand pictures with his inspiring and thought invoking writing on screenplays. He tells the reader that one must study the craft of screenwriting before attempting any kind of writing that will be worth anything. He likens it to if someone were to listen to a bunch of symphonies, say all 9 of Beethoven's, then say, "you know what, I can write a symphony." McKee says that film watching and life experiences aren't enough, that one must study the art. He says that life in fact is overrated as a form of qualification for writing. Research is key to knowing how life works also. Life plus deep reflection on our reactions to life. After reading this it is hard not to write something of worth--or at least I think this is the case. It hurts not to write after reading this, and not 'hurts so good' like the John Mellencamp song.

This is a genuinely great book. I was expecting a summary of writing techniques and of the most common types of story and how to write and sell them, but instead McKee starts at the beginning - why we write, what it means to have something to say, how to add depth and layers of meaning to a story - and then moves on to technical advice such as dialogue and scene structure. But don't read this if you want to read an easy paperback and daydream about Hollywood. It's not an easy (or short) book and needs to be read several times to be fully absorbed and thus effective. It makes it clear that writing a screenplay isn't as easy as it looks! Buy it if you're serious and willing to put the effort into understanding it and improving your writing - otherwise, what's the point?

I have worked with several writers who hold Robert McKee as their personal Jesus. Every one of these writers has been irretrievably lost in terms of story structure. Read Gerard Genette if you actually want to learn anything.

McKee certainly seems to have mesmerized a vast number of would-be writers with his patented approach to story, and lined his pockets in the process, but I was not terribly impressed with this book nor McKee's formula for success. As one often reads of Syd Field, McKee is rather light is the resume department when it comes to screenwriting credentials, and yet here he is, offering his insights as to how to write a great story. There's really nothing new here that you cannot find in many other books on screenwriting, and while some find McKee's approach "inspiring," I find it more exasperating as he seems to be as enamored with his own writing as he is with the subject matter. McKee definitely covers all the territory one needs to know in order to navigate the rough terrain of screenwriting, but for those who would rather pay less, not read as many pages, and learn just as much, Syd Field's "Screenplay" and Irwin R. Blacker's "The Elements of Screenwriting" will get you on the road to screenwriting faster and with less of dent in your wallet. In the end McKee is just another overrated screenwriting "guru" whose formula perpetuates the never-ending phalanx of like-minded writers who feed the Hollywood drivel machine. The difference is that McKee has brilliantly repackaged his retelling of Aristotelian structure with a kind of Nieman-Marcus flair, and has made a name for himself by taking his show on the road with his high-priced seminars. Perhaps it was the overpowering scent of greed that made this a less than enjoyable reading experience.

I am a graduate of the USC film school and I thought I would really benefit for reading this book. But I was sooooooo disappointed. It's so intellectual that I could hardly get through the first chapter. I struggled and struggled, and finally gave up. Words, words, pompous words. Let's get real here!! Other books are much better: Syd Field's Problem Solver, (number one,) Linda Segar are more readable. Don't waste your time!