Dialogue: The Art of Verbal Action for Page, Stage, and Screen
The long-awaited follow-up to the perennially bestselling writers' guide Story, from the most sought-after expert in the art of storytelling.
Robert McKee's popular writing workshops have earned him an international reputation. The list of alumni with Oscars runs off the page. The cornerstone of his program is his singular book, Story, which has defined how we talk about the art of story creation.
Now, in DIALOGUE, McKee offers the same in-depth analysis for how characters speak on the screen, on the stage, and on the page in believable and engaging ways. From Macbeth to Breaking Bad, McKee deconstructs key scenes to illustrate the strategies and techniques of dialogue. DIALOGUE applies a framework of incisive thinking to instruct the prospective writer on how to craft artful, impactful speech. Famous McKee alumni include Peter Jackson, Jane Campion, Geoffrey Rush, Paul Haggis, the writing team for Pixar, and many others.
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Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful  It's All Right Here. All of it., This review is from: Dialogue: The Art of Verbal Action for Page, Stage, and Screen (Hardcover) I shouldn't even be writing this review because doing so only creates my competition. I'm writing it for Robert McKee out of respect and love for him as one of the best instructors I've never met. I have both STORY and now, DIALOGUE in hardcover, on my Kindle, and the audio version (he narrates his books) in my headphones. I read it, I listen to it and take it with me when I travel. Sometimes I listen and read at the same time. Most nights I listen to the audio version in my sleep. In other words, I eat, sleep and breathe this book. I did the same thing with Story, his other book. I may go to my grave never fully comprehending the vast wealth of knowledge contained in these two books. That's OK. What I can tell you is this. With nothing but STORY as my guide, my very first screenplay took seven months and thirty-five drafts from start to finish. But. That screenplay became a Hallmark Movies and Mysteries feature film. The producers liked it so much they gave me another assignment. That one took six weeks, and they bought the first draft. I'm now working on my fifth script; this one is in the six-figure category, with five figures upfront just for the Treatment. And I owe it all to everything I've learned from studying Robert McKee, supplemented by what I learned from everyone else. Over the past thirty years, I’ve studied with forty plus instructors and highlighted hundreds of books and listened to dozens of recorded seminars. All that information is summed up and thoroughly explained in Robert McKee's two books STORY and now DIALOGUE. I won't live long enough to absorb everything he teaches. And I still study two hours a day as a warm up for my writing. I’d recommend Aaron Sorkin, Warner Hertzog, William Goldman (both Sorkin and McKee say he's the greatest), Blake Synder, Chris Vogler, Michael Hauge, William Akers, and anybody else you can find who’s willing to share their knowledge. Because you never know when a concept you didn’t realize you didn’t understand or needed is going to show up. Especially when presented from a different perspective. Having said that, if you are serious, and I mean dead serious, about becoming a working screenwriter, or any other kind of fiction writer for that matter, then you have no choice but to study McKee like your literary life depends on it. Buy the hardcover, buy the Kindle version, and buy the audio version of DIALOGUE and STORY. And supplement these two works with any other material that speaks to you. If you do this, you will become a first class screenwriter or novelist or playwright, because all three genres are only different ways of presenting a Story. If you can’t commit to this, unless you’re a genius or prodigy, you’re wasting valuable time which could be spent following your true life calling. But if your heart’s desire is to become a working writer, then sooner or later you’ll have to know everything in McKee’s two books. So, you might as well bite the bullet and jump in head first. It's all right here in STORY and DIALOGUE. All of it. Thank you, Mr. McKee. You, sir, changed my life.-- Jimmy Hager 4 of 4 people found the following review helpful ONE OF THE TWO BEST BOOKS ON SCREENWRITING, This review is from: Dialogue: The Art of Verbal Action for Page, Stage, and Screen (Hardcover) Probably the best book on screenwriting ever (besides Egri), though there is also much here for the novelist and playwright. I am a professional TV writer, of long-standing (35 years), and I can tell you I used this book to figure out how to fix the problems of a complex pilot I'm writing; the author truly " guided me home." And lest you think I'm a McKee sycophant, I am not. I found little in STORY for me. The only thing I disagree with in DIALOGUE is that the author sells his own work short: it isn't just for those who are "lost" in their writing, like me, and the student, it's for anyone who writes fiction for a living, in any form, no matter how much experience they have. It's that good. 4 of 4 people found the following review helpful Read it once in about 3 days, going through the highlights again already, this one is an investment, not a purchase., This review is from: Dialogue: The Art of Verbal Action for Page, Stage, and Screen (Kindle Edition) Excellent supplement to 'Story' - with examples of speech from popular stories that really drive home the content. It shows how to immerse dialogue into your scene(s) to give the words more meaning, and in a tension-raising-cycle, turn and give the scene itself more impact. I enjoy writing dialogue more with this better perspective of what to look for, and what questions to ask before giving my characters words. This is a book that will get multiple re-reads for reference and increase in understanding as I look to improve my craft and skill-set. Thanks Robert and company! |
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