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Story: Substance, Structure, Style and The Principles of Screenwriting

Story: Substance, Structure, Style and The Principles of ScreenwritingAuthor: Robert Mckee
Publisher: It Books

List Price: $35.00
Buy New: $17.51
as of 11/23/2009 18:09 CST details
You Save: $17.49 (50%)



New (53) Used (45) Collectible (3) from $16.49

Seller: OB1S
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars 187 reviews
Sales Rank: 2006

Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Pages: 480
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.8
Dimensions (in): 9.4 x 6.1 x 1.5

ISBN: 0060391685
Dewey Decimal Number: 808.23
EAN: 9780060391683
ASIN: 0060391685

Publication Date: December 17, 1997
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Brand New Book direct from the publisher. Ships immediately from New York. Please allow up to 15 days for delivery. Returns accepted. Satisfaction guarantee.

Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 16-20 of 187



5 out of 5 stars Essential reading for any writer   July 22, 2008
A. Thomas (India)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful

I've read a lot of fiction help books, but most of them are geared at the mechanics and tricks of fiction. None of them, in my opinion, philosophically tackles the concept of story telling and how stories work. Instead, they give tips and techniques like "put in rising conflict" or "make your characters likeable"
In STORY, Rob McKee tells us, from a conceptual, historical & technical view, what story is, how it works and how to make it work. He writes with authority and depth. It is clear that the man has put a tremendous amount of thought into the subject and that he genuinely cares about good story telling.
I have gained a lot of insight from this book. Almost every paragraph has something to take away from it. I'd definitely recommend this book, to both prose and screen writers.



5 out of 5 stars Invaluable Resource   July 7, 2008
Justin Staley (Milwaukee, WI United States)
3 out of 4 found this review helpful

This is the only book on screenwriting I have read thus far, and, frankly, it would take a lot for me to read another. I have gained invaluable understanding of the screenwriting process with this book. I reference it continuously and am not disappointed. I find McKee's advice to be straight forward, easy to understand, and adapt.


1 out of 5 stars Beware of the Snake Oil Salesman   June 16, 2008
Monica Main (Valencia, CA USA)
9 out of 47 found this review helpful

I'm sorry but I find it almost insulting that someone would stand up on an orange box and preach about a subject that he knows NOTHING about. To me that's the definition of a scam artist.

I have dozens upon dozens of screenwriting books and most of them are mediocre at best. The problem: Most are also written by people who haven't sold anything! How do these publishing companies keep allowing these non-screenwriters to publish books about screenwriting?

Ask yourself this: If you are trying to put together a model airplane, would you read the instructions by someone who has never done it before? If you were trying to rebuild a carburetor, would you read the book by the dude who knows nothing about cars or carburetors?

No, you wouldn't! (I hope.)

After wasting so much money on these wannabe snakeoil salesmen who are selling books about writing and yet have never sold anything, I've learned to stick with ONLY those who have been successful. After all, many of us who are aspiring to make it as writers don't want to read about other wannabe's 'theories' on how to make it as a writer, do we?

I've found two successful screenwriters who are worth reading: Blake Snyder and Cynthia Whitcomb. Their books are exceptional and worth reading several times over.

My advice: Instead of wasting your time reading books by people who TEACH and DON'T DO, find books only by people who have actually done it and are successful. Why read anything else? Doesn't make sense, does it?

Regarding Robert McKee, the guy hasn't 'done it' so why bother with him to begin with? If his 'theories' are so fabulous then why hasn't he been successful? Theories sound nice on paper but unless they are workable and something you can actually be successful with, they're worthless.

I just feel sorry for all the people who have been duped by McKee and who think the guy knows what he's talking about. Being that blinded could easily set your career back a decade or more. Beware of the snakeoil salesman. He can make you believe you are on the right track when really you are wasting a ton of time.



5 out of 5 stars Let me tell you a Story   April 6, 2008
Michael L. Nistler
4 out of 6 found this review helpful

Fantastic content and narrative! McGee's book is awesome however the Audio CD really brings it all to life. Candidly, I'm surprised Robert is also so talented narrating the audio - this is a must-have purchase, even if you've already bought is book "Story".


4 out of 5 stars Bible for screenwriting   February 10, 2008
Ian D. Raymond
4 out of 6 found this review helpful

Mckee's book is famous and hardly needs someone like me to review it. This is the bible of screenwriting. With that said, there are a lot of basics in here that advanced screenwriters always follow, but are beyond. It is a quick and interesting read that you will benefit from. After reading it, pick up the film Adaptation and laugh out loud.

Showing reviews 16-20 of 187



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