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ladyk23's review against another edition
3.0
It’s not an exaggeration to say it took me two years to read this book. I added it to my ‘currently reading’ list on November 9th 2019 and I finished it in September this year. Now, I hope it goes without saying that I was not constantly reading this every day of those almost two years, but it’s also fair to say that when I did pick it up in those intervening years, it was a real slog to get through.
In part that's because of the subject matter. You do really want to take in what McKee is teaching you about the craft of screenwriting, but he really doesn't make it easy for you to do that.
There’s no synopsis for this as it’s a book that basically teaches you the dos and don’ts of writing a screenplay. And I can definitely see lots of merits with this book, so I’m in no way saying it’s bad or not to read it. Especially if you have an interest in screenwriting. But it is quite outdated in both its approach, and in what it has to say on the subject too.
Some of the recommendations contained within its pages are still relevant and pretty solid advice, but a lot of it goes into too much detail, is overly wordy, and if I am honest, as a woman, I found the authors decision to use “He/Him” pronouns whenever he was talking about “the writer” really sexist. It made it that much harder for me to relate to being the person who might be submitting said screenplay because I am not a “he/him”. How difficult would it have been to just write “they”? And how much more inclusive to your audience Mr McKee?
Around a year after I was kindly given this book by my brother (I am grateful – it was a thoughtful gift), I was gifted another writing tome, ‘On Writing’ by Stephen King. I didn’t want to start that one until I finished this book however, but now I am really keen to compare the two.
I suspect as ‘On Writing’ is more of a memoir that I will prefer that anyway. And as a fan of Mr King’s work I will be interested to find out more about him personally too. But I think I will especially prefer his book, over a book that seems to think the only writers in this world are men. *eyeroll*
It’s absolutely fascinating to me that both people I’ve heard say wonderful things about this book are men. And it also makes me wonder if other women/non-binary people who have read this (if there are any) have also struggled with it on the simple basis of the decision to use only masculine pronouns throughout (unless McKee is specifically talking about a woman in a scene that is).
It’s a shame as I think otherwise I’d have absorbed this book like a sponge, but instead I just found it seemed more like it was trying to mansplain to me, and rather archaic.
In part that's because of the subject matter. You do really want to take in what McKee is teaching you about the craft of screenwriting, but he really doesn't make it easy for you to do that.
There’s no synopsis for this as it’s a book that basically teaches you the dos and don’ts of writing a screenplay. And I can definitely see lots of merits with this book, so I’m in no way saying it’s bad or not to read it. Especially if you have an interest in screenwriting. But it is quite outdated in both its approach, and in what it has to say on the subject too.
Some of the recommendations contained within its pages are still relevant and pretty solid advice, but a lot of it goes into too much detail, is overly wordy, and if I am honest, as a woman, I found the authors decision to use “He/Him” pronouns whenever he was talking about “the writer” really sexist. It made it that much harder for me to relate to being the person who might be submitting said screenplay because I am not a “he/him”. How difficult would it have been to just write “they”? And how much more inclusive to your audience Mr McKee?
Around a year after I was kindly given this book by my brother (I am grateful – it was a thoughtful gift), I was gifted another writing tome, ‘On Writing’ by Stephen King. I didn’t want to start that one until I finished this book however, but now I am really keen to compare the two.
I suspect as ‘On Writing’ is more of a memoir that I will prefer that anyway. And as a fan of Mr King’s work I will be interested to find out more about him personally too. But I think I will especially prefer his book, over a book that seems to think the only writers in this world are men. *eyeroll*
It’s absolutely fascinating to me that both people I’ve heard say wonderful things about this book are men. And it also makes me wonder if other women/non-binary people who have read this (if there are any) have also struggled with it on the simple basis of the decision to use only masculine pronouns throughout (unless McKee is specifically talking about a woman in a scene that is).
It’s a shame as I think otherwise I’d have absorbed this book like a sponge, but instead I just found it seemed more like it was trying to mansplain to me, and rather archaic.
mrswythe89's review against another edition
3.0
This was OK lor. Oddly enough for a book that goes on about picking the best scenes to include in your movie and cutting out the crap to get to the PURE MATTER OF STORY, it was kind of repetitive! And tended to make big claims about HUMANITY and the NATURE OF STORY that made me roll my eyes. The writing was so Hollywood lah. Still, it was useful to bone up on all this Inciting Incident jargon and whatnot. I am trying to improve my plotting/outlining skills and it was useful to read McKee's conception of storytelling. It might have been even more useful if I had recognised any of the films he dissected!
qkjgrubb's review against another edition
5.0
An absolute must read for creative writers! One of my very favorite resources for story tellers.
rdmathison's review against another edition
5.0
When the art of storytelling is discussed, few names shine as brightly as Robert McKee. For anyone familiar with the movie Adaptation, it’s almost surreal to dive into Story and recognize the very tenets Brian Cox's character—a portrayal of McKee himself—passionately expounds to Nicholas Cage's fictionalized version of Charlie Kaufman. But this is not just a cinematic gem—it is a veritable bible for storytellers.
McKee's profound understanding of story structure and character development is on full display here. The book is not just a guide but an expedition into the heart and soul of what makes stories resonate with us. From the intricate details of crafting a compelling protagonist to the broad strokes of ensuring an engaging narrative, McKee leaves no stone unturned. Highly recommended for aspiring storytellers.
McKee's profound understanding of story structure and character development is on full display here. The book is not just a guide but an expedition into the heart and soul of what makes stories resonate with us. From the intricate details of crafting a compelling protagonist to the broad strokes of ensuring an engaging narrative, McKee leaves no stone unturned. Highly recommended for aspiring storytellers.
beecycling's review against another edition
5.0
Amazing book with so much to teach all writers of fiction, not only screenwriters.
alex_buurman's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
Incredibly good book that gave me an entirely different view on storytelling and the process of writing. I highly recommend the book to every writer, whether you write for the screen, the stage or the page. Or any other form of storytelling. I do think some things McKee writes should be taken as a suggestion, not an absolute truth, even though he presents them as such.
a_monkey's review against another edition
4.0
Psychology, sociological insight, sex tips, and the occasional writing suggestion from the writer of one episode of Spenser for Hire. And my goodness, everything but the writing-talk is fucking awful.
sharrypdx's review against another edition
4.0
I read (rather listened to) this book because it comes highly recommended by Shawn Coyne in his Story Grid workbook. While McKee's book is centered around writing screen plays, it is also helpful for general writers as well. I put a copy on hold at the library because when I get to the actual writing part of my next book I want to follow some of McKee's principles around genre and storytelling. Great book. A bit deep, but then, that's expected in a book of this caliber.