Which Lie Did I Tell?: More Adventures in the Screen Trade

Overview
William Goldman returns with a candid, often hilarious account of a lifetime spent chasing scripts, deals, and the elusive truth about what makes movies work. Published in 2000, Which Lie Did I Tell?: More Adventures in the Screen Trade functions as memoir, essay collection, and practical manual, continuing the frank, conversational voice that made earlier reflections famous. Goldman blends reminiscence about specific films with broader meditations on the business and craft of screenwriting.

Content and structure
The book is organized as a series of essays and case studies rather than a linear autobiography. Goldman alternates anecdote-driven chapters about particular projects with analytical pieces that dissect scenes, rewrites, and the sometimes comical negotiations that shape final films. Many chapters read like illustrated postmortems: he takes a finished or failed project, recounts the people and decisions involved, and then lays bare the mechanics of what did or didn't work.

Themes and tone
A central theme is uncertainty. Goldman reiterates and expands on his oft-quoted aphorism that "nobody knows anything" about what will succeed at the box office, demonstrating how luck, timing, and personalities often trump craft. The tone is wry, skeptical, and humane. He can be affectionate about collaborators and merciless about industry nonsense, but his underlying devotion to storytelling and to the practicalities of making scripts sing is constant and persuasive.

Notable anecdotes and craft insights
Goldman revisits a number of high-profile films he wrote or adapted, including reflections on Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, All the President's Men, Marathon Man, The Princess Bride, and Misery. He describes the thrill of a perfect scene coming together, the humiliation of a promising project collapsing, and the surreal nature of studio politics. Interwoven with these stories are concrete lessons: how to open a screenplay, the value of clarity in dialogue, the importance of rewriting, and the ways a single production decision can alter a story's emotional core. The title essay captures his knack for identifying the little deceptions that grease the machine of Hollywood, small lies told to keep deals moving or to preserve egos, that ultimately shape the fate of scripts and careers.

Practical value
Beyond entertainment, the book serves as a pragmatic guide for aspiring screenwriters and anyone curious about the engine room of film. Goldman is generous with scene-level breakdowns and examples of problem-solving strategies he used when adapting novels or reshaping scripts under pressure. His emphasis is less on formula and more on habits of attention: precise characterization, ruthless cutting, and the humility to accept that even a "perfect" draft will probably change.

Reception and legacy
Critics and readers praised the book for its mordant wit and insider clarity, while some noted overlap with earlier memoir material. For many, it reinforced Goldman's reputation as the indispensable chronicler of late-20th-century Hollywood: a writer who understands both the artistry of storytelling and the absurd economics that surround it. Which Lie Did I Tell? stands as a companion piece to earlier essays and remains a recommended read for those who want a candid, entertaining education in how movies are made and why their success is so maddeningly unpredictable.