Story
by Robert McKee
★ Top 25 book of 1997 · #22 on Best Books of 1997
Drawing on his famed seminar, a celebrated screenwriting teacher explains how stories are built, from beats and scenes to act climaxes. He relies on over a hundred films and stresses understanding form rather than following a formula.
Best for: Aspiring screenwriters and filmmakers who want to master story structure beyond clichés
Story is #22 on BookWard's Best Books of 1997, out of 28 1997 books that cleared our data bar.
What Story is about
Robert McKee has taught his Story Structure seminar for more than 17 years, and more than 35,000 people have graduated from it. This is the first time his methods have appeared in book form. He insists the subject is form, not formula, and he does not offer a template to fill in.
The book starts with basic definitions, including beat, scene, scene sequence, act climax and film climax. It then walks through the standard three-act structure and less common shapes such as two-act and seven-act stories. More than 100 films supply the examples. Screenwriters will find the most direct use here, but novelists, playwrights and anyone curious about why some stories hold us and others fall flat can learn from it. The tone is practical and authoritative.
Story on the Best Books of 1997
Story came out in 1997. Of the 28 books first published in 1997 that met BookWard's data bar, it ranks #22 on our Best Books of 1997 list.
Why it made the list: 157 readers have shelved it on Open Library. The list ranks each year’s books on how many readers have picked them up, how highly readers rate them, and how many are reading them right now.
Nearby on the 1997 list
- The Perfect Storm Sebastian Junger, #20
- The Sovereign Individual James Dale Davidson, #21
- Essential Cell Biology Bruce Alberts, #23
See all Best Books of 1997 Best books by year
More years: Best Books of 1996 Best Books of 1998.
The numbers behind it
- Readers: 139 want to read it, 13 are reading it now and 5 have read it, according to Open Library.
| Signal | This book (0 to 100) | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Reach | 11 | 55% |
| Reader love | 57 | 25% |
| Being read right now | 39 | 20% |
Questions about Story
When was Story published?
Story by Robert McKee was first published in 1997.
Was Story one of the best books of 1997?
Story is #22 on BookWard's Best Books of 1997, out of 28 1997 books that cleared our data bar. 157 readers have shelved it on Open Library.
Why is Story on the Best Books of 1997 list?
157 readers have shelved it on Open Library.
More of the best books of 1997
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone J. K. Rowling, #1
- Rich Dad, Poor Dad Robert T. Kiyosaki, #2
- Guns, Germs, and Steel Jared Diamond, #3
- The Adventures of Captain Underpants Dav Pilkey, #4
- The Power of Now Eckhart Tolle, #5
- Into Thin Air Jon Krakauer, #6
See the full Best Books of 1997, the Top 100, or new books on Rising.
How we know
This page uses public data: Open Library reader counts and ratings, and Wikipedia page views for recent years. The description is paraphrased from real source text. Rankings reflect reading interest, not quality or sales, and can be affected by data gaps. Lists update monthly.
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