Favorite Screenwriting Books?

In no particular order (but since my list will be the authoritative list, none of you should bother responding with your choices. You should just crawl to the local bookstore and buy them).


Which Lie Did I Tell by William Goldman (Some like Adventures in Screen Trade. I like it, too. But WLDIT has more recent anecdotes)

Oscar-Winning Screenwriters on Screenwriting: The Award-Winning Best in the Business Discuss Their Craft by Joel Engel. This one has stories from 11 Oscar winning writers on how they approach the craft.

The First Time I Got Paid For It. Again, this is anecdotes from past and present writers on how they got their first writing assignments.


Okay, I can't think of any more. I am sure at some point, someone is going to mention some dude named Egris. And a bunch will list McKee's Story or Linda Seger or a bunch of gurus. I never read them so I cannot tell you if they are good or bad.

Feel free to list them so I can secretly mock your choices.

One of my favorites when I started is How NOT to write a screenplay by Denny Martin Flinn. Basically, he goes over a bunch of (sometimes incredibly) dumb mistakes new screenwriters can make, and contrasts them with screenplays from successful movies like Braveheart and Bladerunner. Besides being invaluable to guys new to the process, it's also a funny read in of itself, taking a look at some of the tripe that someone actually THOUGHT would make a screenplay.

I also liked "How NOT to Write a Screenplay."

The Complete Book of Scriptwriting
J Michael Strasomethingoranother.

when i flipped thru "how not to write a screenplay" i found that the best examples of how not to write a screenplay were his own script pages. :gone

i did likee me the william goldman book. his first one too! :thumbs

I believe their is a saying...The person who's bible is falling apart, they themselves are not. My copy of the Screenwriter's Bible by Mr Trottier sure has been worn through the ages, but it is one of the most helpful books one could ever read on writing...

McKee's Story. :grin

The Writer Got Screwed (But Didn't Have to) by Brooke Wharton-- about the legal side of the screenwriting world.

The Screenwriter's Legal Guide, by Stephen Breimer. A third edition was just published in June.

its not for screenwritin specifically but its the best book i ever read which is "on writing: memoirs of the craft" by stephen king.

I galloped through McKee's Story in a matter of days. It really spoke to me at that point.

I haven't touched it since.

:|

On Writing, by S. King.
William Goldman's books.
Many scripts downloaded from the 'net.

The Screenwriter's bible is the one beginners should start with and DO THE ASSIGNMENTS!!!!

I really enjoyed How NOT to write a screenplay.

I'm working through Bill Martell's Blue books.
Awesome!!!


Writers really should spend several hours reading a variety of message boards. A wealth of knowledge and experience lies within.

"On Directing Film" by David Mamet
"Memories, Dreams, Reflections" by C. G. Jung
"Illusions" by Richard Bach
"Audition" by Michael Shurtleff

On Writing by Stephen King was very helpful, if you are planning on writing fiction...

Liked Mamet's book a lot.
Trottier, for format.
Ham's picks were good, although "The First Time..." didn't have much to do with writing.

'Story' was alright. A couple points he made were new for me and helped my writing.

In terms of story theory, I would definitely say Joseph Campbell's works, especially "The Power of Myth" and "The Hero with a Thousand Faces." They're facinating on their own and must-reads for a writer.

Ham, I'm surprised you haven't read any guru books. After USC, I'm sure there's not much in them for you, but I would have guessed you might have read them before school. How did you first learn about screenwriting?

I read about 1/3 of Good Will Hunting and said "dammit, I can do this."

Kinda like "[Redacted-JDM]" theory. And then I started writing. My first script was not that good but it wasn't bad. I enjoyed the writing process and it made me want to continue writing. I read Vogler's book about the writer's journey. It was very common sense.

And I read On Writing by King based on Unca Leo's recommendation. That was good.

That's been it. But before I got to USC, I read about 40 scripts. I am sure that there are those of us here who read more than that.

Oh, Hamboogul,
did you really go to USC??
WOW, never heard that from you before.
What was it like to go to a director emphasis film school to study screenwriting??
DR

To answer your question straight-up:

I didn't know much about film or screenwriting at the time I decided to apply to film schools. Since it was so late, the only schools where I didn't miss the application deadlines were Columbia and USC.

Since I only wanted to write screenplays, I decided to apply to the screenwriting program at USC. In hindsight, I probably would have chosen the Peter Stark Producing Program. I had very little interest in the actual physical production so I had no desire to apply to the directing program. Of the four major disciplines at USC (Peter Stark producing, production, writing, and critical studies), Peter Stark boasts the best track record in terms of job placement after graduation. Production program has many notable alums in the biz who have made lasting influences in cinema. The writing program does not have a consistent track record though many are in the biz. But as far as the actual track record of their screenwriting program compared to other screenwriting programs at top film schools, I'd say that the percentage rates are similar. If you are inferring that I got into a lesser program because I couldn't get into the "better" programs at USC, that'd simply be wrong.

As far as screenwriting is concerned, I do not believe you need formal training. Just have the self-discipline to write everyday, have a few trusted individuals who can give you good notes, and read lots of good scripts.

Reading books is for suckas.

Man, I wish I could come up with a cool name like Dusty Reigns. It sounds like a late 19th century porn name.

Pathetic,
you're all on Hamboogul's tip, you got his back through thick and thin. That's good, he's a talented guy you've chosen to bend over for.
Peace to you Pathetic. I will not respond to the cheap shots you choose to take at my screen name. Peace be unto you Pathetic. Peace.

Yes, APW. Because your name is just sooooo much better.

Actually, I kinda like DR. It reminds me of "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes.

I do find, however, that oftentimes names reflect the most salient characteristics of the user.

For instance, compare "Maximus" to "Pathetic."

I feel your name is quite fitting, APW, as you tend to prove with each post.

Opty, that post was just pathetic.

Had I known how much Hollywood operates on "contacts." My advice to kids is to GET THEE TO SCHOOL. In entertainment, your alumni connections mean everything. I applied to AFI for directing, and they invited me to apply to Screenwriting Program, but I was on the east coast making decent money as an attorney. Now, years later, I'm still a good writer... with no contacts. So.......... without any regrets, because life is just that.... life.... I would advise those with the option to go to school.

My favorite book on screenwriting is The Understructure of Writing for Film and Television, by "something" Brady (not The Brady you're thinking). University of Texas Press. Excellent, although by now, dated. It analyses scripts like Tootsie, the Godfather, other scripts, showing how certain film writing principles are achieved. It's not an easy read, as it really is more a textbook, than a recount of personal experiences in Hollywood. What say you, Hamboogul (sp) Do you know about this one?