Rating: 
Summary: Ain't Syd Field...
Review: ...which is the best recommendation I can give. This will tell you everything you need to know to get started, or even better yourself. Whether or not you'll be any good afterwards is entirley dependant on your own talent though.
Rating:
Summary: The Gold Standard
Review: I have read many books on story and the craft of writing, but no other book has provided me the insight that this one has. I tore through the book in record time, and I am starting to reread it again. Even if you are not a writer, but just enjoy the craft of stories and storytelling there is no better book. This book not only addresses the challenges of creating a good story, but most importantly if instills an appreciation and an enthusiasm about creating a good tale. Though some feel that this extent of knowledge can ruin one's enjoyment of a movie or book, I feel that it has provided me an added dimension to my enjoyment of not only the good but the bad cinema and storytelling that exists. I can't recommend this book enough.
Rating: 
Summary: Good book but difficult read
Review: As an aspiring rookie screenwriter, I'm always in need of some sort of guidance. After reading the reviews, I decided to drop my street-peddled [money] on Mr. McKee's big screen wish list "Story." Overall, I'd say this book is a worthy addition to my library. With chapters on structure and meaning, scene design and analysis, as well as antagonism and exposition, I've sucked down a frothy bit of good advice. However, my literary journey through Mr. McKee's book has not been without toil. He seems to write at a level that attempts to overly amplify his knowledge of a movie's inner-workings-to a point that almost boasts, brags, and commands. Sure he's got the credentials, but the world is what it is. I also found his use of the English language both amazing and perplexing. He reminds me of a college English professor I once knew, a professor who prided himself on knowing the meaning of more words than Mr. Webster. Mr. McKee's use of words like "solipsism," "couscous," and "cacophonous," twist my mind into spasms of vocabulary hurl. I found myself constantly referring to a dictionary just to turn the page. And once I did decipher Mr. McKee's complex stretch of the English language, I had to go back and reread the paragraph just to absorb the context. A tiring experience to say the least. On a more obtuse note, he seems to sublimely suggest that his way is the only way. I found myself chuckling when reading, "Instead he pours a cup of coffee, then asks for ten minutes." I don't drink coffee (knock wood) and I surely don't want to verbally pitch my movie premise in ten minutes. I'd rather immerse my critic via a well-written treatment. Or better yet, here's my script. Would you take some time to read it? Most supportive friends and relatives would gladly take the time to sit down and curl up within your surreal journey. I like the book, don't get me wrong. It's got mountains of good information. And I undoubtedly will refer to it often. But do your pushups before you dive into this slice of bark. It will exhaust and enrich you at the same time. As they say in my new movie, "Maverick, word-alert on your six! Beware of 'didacticism' and 'rubric' in chapter 7." Yowza, my eyes are suffering from negative Gs.
Rating: 
Summary: Let's be objective
Review: Having taken Mr. McKee's course, and read the book, I give him only three stars here primarily because he writes in a way that will frustrate most beginners (I've seen this) and convince the gullible that he is the master of the story universe.In fact, what he has here is fine, workable material. But it is presented more clearly elsewhere. I suspect he writes in such a prolix style to foster the impression that he sees what other do not. This, of course, is good marketing. With regard to the oft mentioned Syd Field, he was there first, and with Chris Vogler you have stuff that is of equal or greater value, especially for the beginner. I sold screenplays before I took McKee's course, and have written fiction bestsellers afterward. Of all the books I've read on the craft, his was the least accessible. I think I really only learned one thing from his course that I use (it is a good thing, don't get me wrong, but stands alone). If you're an experienced writer, you might find something of value. If you're just getting started, I'd be very wary. Hollywood is filled with McKee acolytes. Be an original instead.
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Summary: McKee is BRILLIANT!
Review: Having read McKee's book 2 years ago and having taken his "Story Seminar" in NY 6 months ago, I can only believe the last review was made out of jealousy and ignorance. Three months after taking McKee's course I sold my first screenplay to Miramax for six figures. I could not have done it without McKee. It's obvious the reviewer has a personal problem with him - 98% of his "review" was nothing more than a personal attack and had NOTHING to do with the book or course. ABC, Paramount, Miramax, Nickelodeon and every other major company send their writing staffs to McKee's course, or require them to read his book. That alone tells you about the value of what McKee teaches. So if he makes a few bucks doing it, good for him! He deserves it!
Unfortunately, the "reviewer" has resorted to writing nasty diatribes on the Internet. Must have lost his job at Burger King. Or maybe he just doesn't have the talent to write a quality that will sell.
Rating: 
Summary: Over-Hyped and Highly Overrated
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: The title says it all
Review: I tend to spend much of my writing time looking at my fingernails, not knowing which way to go. Now I know why I should go one way or another, and more of how to get there. I understand characters a little more. (They're just trying to back get to balance, they will always try to take the path of least resistance, they think they're normal, they're not always what they seem...) I understand dialog a little more. (They're not necessarily talking about what they're talking about, they lie.) And in learning a little more about story, we learn a little more about ourselves. I got out my highlighter 5 pages in. And I never get out my highlighter. McKee can be a bit repetitive, but that's fine; didn't bother me a bit. I do wish there were some day-to-day get-past-the-fingernail-staring exercises, but hey, that's not what he's teaching. I wish I had this book years ago -- would've saved a lot of head-banging anguish. This, along with "Self-Editing for Fiction Writers," (Browne, King); Lawrence Block's "Writing the Novel," and Stephen King's "On Writing," were all tremendous, practical help to me. Thank you, Mr. McKee.
Rating:
Summary: Very good examples
Review: I've read Syd Field many times. He is good but emphasizes too much on formula: when to do this, when to do that. It works when you want to write a typical commerical movie. But I believe that a creative writer doesn't rely on formula. Then I turned to Mckee. He doesn't show formula but guideline, show you how to present your story better. Also, Mckee uses a lot of example to illustrate his ideas, even just one single idea. So that even you miss one movie, then you can catch the idea from other movies. This book is great.
Rating:
Summary: Better than any other writing book or course
Review: This book is by far the best book on narrative writing that I've ever read, and is also more useful to me than the many writing courses I've taken over the years. I'm a graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop (MFA) and also took many writing courses as an undergraduate -- this single book beats them all put together. It's truly extraordinary how McKee is able to distill universal forms and principles from a huge variety of narrative writing (primarily screenplays, of course, but his insight extends beyond screenplays). One would think such an approach would be limiting and reductive, but the reverse is true: by helping the reader understand why and how effective narratives work, and how a writer should approach the creation of a screenplay, a universe of possibilities emerges. The main problem with writing workshops is that they focus on a student's work and what's wrong with it -- it's a very negative approach, the opposite of a support group, that rarely results in genuine improvement. As McKee notes, a lot of writers go through endless revision cycles in the hope of salvaging what's good in their work. But the problem with most narrative writing seems to be in its elemental structure -- the story and its progression -- which occurs on a "pre-writing" level. Once a story is committed to novel or screenplay form, the battle to forge this elemental structure is almost lost. McKee teaches the principles that writers should follow in this critical pre-writing stage as they develop the progression of their narrative. There's a lot of baloney being spewed in academia and elsewhere that creative writing can't be taught and that plot is relatively unimportant. McKee shows the lie in all this -- that narrative writing *can* be taught and that well-developed plot is critical. Save your money and time, skip the MFA programs, read this book and dedicate yourself to learning from it.
Rating:
Summary: A Story Creator's Must Read Bible; Illuminating &Inspiring
Review: If you work with stories, whether as a screenwriter (the reader the book most directly addresses) a novelist, short story writer, or even as an ad creative person, lawyer (telling stories in front of a jury) or psychologist (listening to and re-writing patients' stories) then this book will pop your eyes wide open with new ways to think about stories. For me, reading McKee's book was a life-changing experience. It opened my eyes. Imagine seeing a computer tower, but not knowing anything about what's inside. Then, you read a book that explains not only what the different components are, but also how they work, how you can install them, select which ones to choose, fix them, understand why certain features are better than others. McKee does this for you with the internal elements, dynamics and dimensions of story. You can tell how much I like a book by how much I mark it up. This book is covered with markings. Here's how much it inspired me. I went on to take McKee's workshop, which you can find out about on the web. He's more than a lecturer, more like an entertainer, and the workshop, which covers the material in the book is well worth the price. Supposedly, 45,000+n people have taken the workshop. Word has it that some movie studios have literally included some aspects of McKee's core criteria for a good story in their contracts. (and that when McKee found out about it, he insisted they pull the verbiage.) Bottom line. This is a fascinating, brilliant book. It got me started exploring the wealth of other great writings on the creation of stories, including Syd Field, Christopher Vogler, Lynda Seger, James Bonnet, Michael Hauge, James Frey, Carol Bly and more. I became so intrigued with the whole idea of describing all the elements, dimensions and aspects of story creation that I've put together a meeting with dozens of people, including McKee, Seger, Field, Bonnet, Vogler, Bly committed to participating in a discussion of story science. This book is Primarily about Story Structure. It's a left brain approach to understanding what goes into making a story work. It offers principles which are worth reading over several times. But one thing I discovered was that the other side of writing is not structural. Structural concepts are powerful and highly useful in the development of your work, but I like to consider them the bones of the story. You still have to put flesh on those bones, and you get that flesh from your own inner creativity-- from taping your experience, your unconscious, the deepest parts of your self. Put the bones of structure together with your deep inner self and you get a meaningful masterpiece, or at least something with meaning to you.
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