books on storytelling

Story
Robert McKee
Methuen 1999 466pp
ISBN 0 413 71560 4
UK cover price £12.99 (paperback)

If you only read one book on the subject make it this one. Gets to the heart of storytelling. Well structured. Crystal clear. Engaging. Lots of examples. Advice you can follow. Repays thoughtful study. Ace!

Go here for my review of McKee's Story seminar

Which Lie Did I Tell?
William Goldman*
Bloomsbury 2000 485pp
ISBN 0 7475 4977 X
UK cover price £16.99 (hardback)

If you only read two books, make this the other one! An autobiography rather than a how-to, this one shows the writer's life from the inside. With attitude. And a compelling style. Particularly fine is the last section, which presents then critiques an original screenplay.  

*Goldman wrote All The President's Men, Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid and others you'd've heard of.

Adventures in the Screen Trade
William Goldman
Abacus 1984 418pp
ISBN 0 349 10705 X
UK cover price £9.99 (paperback)

If you read Which Lie Did I Tell? (above), you'll want more. This (earlier) book is also a fine read.

Teach Yourself Screenwriting
Raymond G Frensham
Teach Yourself 1996 250pp
ISBN 0 340 60378 X
UK cover price £7.99 (paperback)

I know the TY series is short on street cred, but this book makes a fine contribution by suggesting processes and methods for getting the writing done. Especially sound on the rewrite process. Also rare for its less US-centric approach. Eclipsed, however, by McKee (above) on conveying the heart of a story.

The Screenwriter's Bible
David Trottier
Silman-James 1998 314pp
ISBN 1 879505 44 4
US cover price $19.99 (paperback)

This book is the best I've seen on boring but important stuff like formatting and conventions. It also addresses other aspects, but I found it hard to learn from.

On Writing
Stephen King
Hodder & Stoughton 2000 238pp
ISBN 0 340 76996 3
UK cover price £16.99 (hardback)

I'd never read any Stephen King before this - I'm just not attracted to horror - and I was unprepared for the humanity and humour. Not much about writing for the screen, but great insights into creating stories.