Dialogue The art of verbal action for page, stage, screen

Review by Booklist Review

McKee, a major mentor to Academy Award-winning writers and lecturer on the art of the story, uses his decades of critical insight to explain what makes good dialogue. Starting with very basic textbook-style information about various kinds of dialogue, McKee moves on to a more advanced analysis of an entire scene, complete with turning points, characterization, conflict, tension, and suspense. He performs close analysis on well-known examples from both theater and film, from Julius Caesar to Frasier to True Detective, dropping in references to Aristotle's Poetics and Socrates when relevant. Readers interested in screenwriting will find specific, useful information in McKee's anecdotes about what kinds of dialogue the camera favors and the way poorly written dialogue can lead to disastrous acting choices. The show, don't tell admonishment is given, along with other helpful suggestions, making this a great guide for writers at any level of expertise, though the minutia may be a deterrent for complete beginners. An exceptionally thorough guide to the difficult art of dialogue from a proven expert in the field.--Grant, Sarah Copyright 2016 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.

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Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

This new work from bestselling screenwriting guru McKee (Story) falls short of expectations, considering his lofty reputation among both A-list and aspiring Hollywood scribes. McKee is in his element writing about conventional and even some unconventional film and television dialogue; his ability to find just the right scene to illustrate what he's trying to teach is remarkable. That said, his conception of the proper uses of narrative is limited. His statement that "stories are metaphors for life, not theses on psychology, environmental crises, social injustice, or any cause extraneous to the characters' lives" is applicable to the current crop of blockbuster and Oscar-winning films, but unhelpful to writers interested in telling other kinds of stories. Time and again, McKee hands out hard and fast rules, rather than measured, adaptable advice. The limitations of his method are particularly evident when he discusses classic literature. This is not to say that his brand of close reading has no value, but rather that shoehorning "beats" and other Hollywood terminology onto, say, The Great Gatsby is reductive and unlikely to teach much about dialogue or storytelling in general. (July) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

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Review by Library Journal Review

McKee, the screenwriting guru's guru, follows his classic examination of narrative writing (Story) with a long-awaited sequel every bit as valuable as the original. As with the author's previous work, this title is founded in -Aristotelian aesthetics while not being bound by them. The power of dialog in print, on stage, and on-screen is illustrated by examples good and bad and detailed analysis that owes more than a little to actor Constantin Stanislavski (beats, objectives, and super objectives are defined with a clarity that is nothing short of revelatory). The works of novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald, playwright and writer Lorraine Hansberry, and TV producer/writer David Chase are presented with a depth that allows readers to identify dialog that works or doesn't, and why. Even if one takes exception to some of McKee's pronouncements, the principles that inform that judgment are so clearly and consistently presented and employed that readers can appreciate the technique even if they don't agree with the result. VERDICT An essential purchase destined to be replaced over the years as generations of aspiring writers wear out the copies with extensive study.-John Frank, Los Angeles P.L. © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

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Review by Kirkus Book Review

How to write dialogue that is convincing, effective, and original.A popular lecturer in the art of story, McKee (Story: Substance, Structure, Style and the Principles of Screenwriting, 1997) brings considerable expertise to this detailed, informative guide to creating dialogue for stage, screen, TV, and prose fiction. The book is organized into four parts addressing the art of dialogue, flaws and fixes, character-specific dialogue, and a sophisticated analysis of dialogue design. Although he usefully explicates specific excerpts of dialogue from many sources, McKee assumes that his readers are knowledgeable practitioners who will fill in references to works as diverse as George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four, Guillermo del Toro's film Pan's Labyrinth, Seinfeld, Frasier, and The Godfather. The author distinguishes three levels of communication: the said (what a character expresses to others), the unsaid (a character's inner thoughts and feelings), and the unsayable (a character's subconscious urges). A writer "must master the double dimension of dialoguethe outer aspect of what is said versus the inner truth of what is thought and felt." McKee offers many examples of "true-to-character talk," contrasting it with generic, predictable dialogue; he cautions against using traumasexual abuse, for exampleas explanation "for virtually any extreme behavior." Case studies highlight scenes that are successful and those that "feel lifeless or false." Although McKee cautions that "no one can teach you how to write," he succeeds in defining "the shape and function of a scene" and laying out its components and inner workings. "Creativity is choice-making," the author writes, and choices derive from the writer's needs and goals. "This book," he claims, "explores the forms that underlie dialogue but never proposes formulae for writing it." Nevertheless, exercises and abundant examples provide much guidance in giving voice to characters. A rich and useful companion for practicing writers. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

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