I started reading Story by Robert McKee. That dude is one repetitively verbose mofo. If I didn't really, really want to know what all the fuss is about, the sheer bloat of Part 1 would have been reason enough to sling the book out the window. (Metaphorically sling, anyway; pressing the delete button in the ebook app wouldn't satisfy nearly so much.)
Meanwhile, Qiu Xiaolong is telling an agreeable mystery story, potholing it with the occasional awkward metaphor.