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If you want to write yourself - even if it's novels rather than screenplays - I've found that screenwriting books are often a better source of advice and practical skills than books for novelists. Perhaps TV/Film are less forgiving of a weak story?

@Sayde Scarlett: Mckee touches briefly on the challenges screenwriters face that novelists don't - not being allowed time for exposition or the use of inner monologue, for example. Novelists can lean on those tools whereas screenwriters cannot. So I think it's safe to say that, while novelists and screenwriters both face challenges as creatives, successful screenwriting is the more difficult of the two, thereby making books on screenwriting a treasure trove of writing advice. :)

@Hannah Greendale: I would agree with that sentiment entirely having tried to do both myself. The only downside for novelists is that they forget that just because writing is not a dramatic art it doesn't have to have drama. Too much self-indulgent description can be a trap for novelists too. Other than that, they have the easier task.

I haven't read this one yet, but I have read all three books from Blake Snyder, published before his untimely death a few years ago, the Save the Cat series.

Blake was a screenwriter and an amazing dissector of movies. Plus he was a good storyteller and had a great sense of humor (Example: for movies that have them, sex scenes often occur at about the first hour mark, what he termed the "sex at sixty" rule.)

His books are turning out to be very useful to me as a novelist; they go well beyond being of aid to screenwriters.

@A.J.: That's the case here. McKee may have penned Story for screenwriters, but it's a valuable resource for all types of writers. :)

I’ll add it to my list!

I can't think of any novels (not that I read many) with self-indulgent descriptions, but I think some people like that. For a screen writer it's over stepping the bounds of the director, editor, and costume design (or so I'm told), but makes sense.

Aaron wrote: "I can't think of any novels (not that I read many) with self-indulgent descriptions... In that case, I recommend The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry.

Sayde wrote: "In that case, I recommend The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry."

Thanks