Book cover of Story

Book description

For more than 15 years, Robert McKee's students have been taking Hollywood's top honors. His "Story Seminar" is the world's ultimate seminar for screenwriters, filmmakers, and novelists. Now, Robert McKee's Story: Substance, Structure, Style, and the Principles of Screenwriting reveals the award-winning methods of the man universally regarded as the…


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Why read it?

1 author picked Story as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

When I was struggling to write my first mystery novel, I realized that I hadn’t a clue what makes a mystery novel a compelling page-turner. My Beta readers thought that my main character was flat. A cipher. I needed to transform the manuscript into a story that made the reader care about the characters (especially the protagonist). Not just present a clever trail of clues and red herrings.

This book focuses on screenwriting, but what McKee says about plotting in general (three-act structure, scene structure, etc.) is completely applicable to writing a mystery novel, and he gives such practical advice.…

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Book cover of The High House

The High House by James Stoddard,

The Victorian mansion, Evenmere, is the mechanism that runs the universe.

The lamps must be lit, or the stars die. The clocks must be wound, or Time ceases. The Balance between Order and Chaos must be preserved, or Existence crumbles.

Appointed the Steward of Evenmere, Carter Anderson must learn the…

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