Story

Substance, Structure, Style, and the Principles of Screenwriting

By: Robert McKee

Narrated by: Robert McKee

Length: 6 hrs and 12 mins

Publisher's summary

Robert McKee's screenwriting workshops have earned him an international reputation for inspiring novices, refining works in progress, and putting major screenwriting careers back on track. Quincy Jones, Diane Keaton, Gloria Steinem, Julia Roberts, John Cleese, and David Bowie are just a few of his celebrity alumni. Writers, producers, development executives, and agents all flock to his lecture series, praising it as a mesmerizing and intense learning experience.

In Story, McKee expands on the concepts he teaches in his $450 seminars (considered a must by industry insiders), providing listeners with the most comprehensive, integrated explanation of the craft of writing for the screen. No one better understands how all the elements of a screenplay fit together, and no one is better qualified to explain the "magic" of story construction and the relationship between structure and character than Robert McKee.

©1997 Robert McKee (P)1997, 2005 HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.

Critic reviews

"The man speaks, and people start to take furious notes; he is now the undisputed screenwriting king." (Newsday)

Very informative

Love the reading and recommend it for people who are learning to become a screenwriter.

Una cátedra sobre como escribir una buena historia

Este audiolibro, narrado de manera espléndida por el autor , da a conocer los principios a los aspirantes a escritos además de brindar perlas de sabiduría sobre el arte a todo tipo de escritores. Su conocimiento y manejo del tema son formidables. Es como tener una cátedra universitaria a tu alcance. Yo no cuento experiencia como escritor profesional , sino como experto médico 'cientifico y debo que este libro es la perfecta introducción para los que se sienten inclinados a escribir y desean hacerlo de manera profesional en un futuro.

Great teaching

This book teaches story writing through stories in a way that makes it fun and entertaining. Whether you want to write a story yourself or just want to figure out why you like some stories more than others, you should listen to this book.

Master Teacher Doesn't Disappoint

helped me clarify what I needed to change in my story and why I needed to change it.

Must-read for all storytellers, though imperfect

Very old school approach, which is mostly good. Sometimes the principles he describes are not very clear and he spends too much time telling you how important a thing is and not enough time giving examples that show why is it important. But the content is by and large outstanding, a must-read for any storyteller.

Better to listen to this one than to read print

I've had this book for a few years and have listened several times on my walks or in the car. Every time I hear something different. The print book, which I also have, is harder to get through because there are so many diagrams and examples. In this abridged version, you get just a few examples of stories and of course no diagrams. I refer back to the print version at times when I want more detail. But I love this and it's read by McKee, who has a great reading voice and an arid sense of humor, which I love.

Exceptional

Loved this book. Learned a lot. The narration was spot on. I recommend this book to any aspiring screen writer.

Must Read for New Screenwriters

The time you invest in reading and studying this book will save you years as a screenwriter this is a must read text or listen to book
Just his advice on what most new screen writers do when they began and the mistakes and get them off the tracks early that end up running into years of frustration are enough

It gets better each time I listen to it!

I can’t add much to what others have already said about this seminal book. It gives storytellers what they need to get better at their craft. I’ve listened to it several times and will keep listening. Because I am at a different point of a project each time I listen, I get something different every time.

A learning ecperience

I enjoyed listening to this whike working on my finals for film school. I found information to be very insightful and important. The narrator does a great job of keeping you interested and the writer explains in easy terms and with known examples for better understanding.