Help Me Out to Select Best Books on Craft of Screenwriting.

Step by step guide: Moviemind For Screenwriters: Write It Right And Get It Written -- by W.R. Craig
Everything else: Story: Substance, Structure, Style and The Principles of Screenwriting by Robert McKee

Screenwriting books...

kurushdeboo said:

Dear Members,
Can you guide me which screenwriting manual book / books I should / MUST BUY from following choices:
1. Screenwriter's Bible - by David Trottier
2. Screenplay: The Foundation of Screenwriting - by Syd Field.
3. Writing Screenplays That Sell - by Michael Hauge
4. Making A Good Script Great - by Dr. Linda Segar
5. Lew Hunter's Screenwriting 434 - by Lew Hunter
6. Crafty Screenwriting: Writing Movies That Get Made - by Alex Epstein
7. Screenwriting Tricks of the Trade - by William Froug
8. Screenwriting Updated: New and Conventional ways of Writing for th Screen - by Linda Aronson (For Advanced Level)
9. Advanced Screenwriting : Raising Your Script to the Academy Award Level - by Dr. Linda Segar (for Advanced Level).

Forget FORMATTING Aspect, I am not interested (due to software availibility and saving energy to concentrate in screenplay writing).

Basically, I am looking out for CRAFT OF SCREENWRITING, HOW TO DEVELOP YOUR STORY IDEAS (step-by-step to script), HELP / GUIDE IN MENTAL BLOCK, 3D CHARACTERIZATION, PLOT DEVELOPMENT, SUBPLOTS AND STRUCTURE CHOICES etc...
You can suggest any number of books from above list to fulfill my objectives.
Thanks.

Click to expand...

Although I have every book on your list because I'm a student of structure, I would only recommend the following books from it:

Screenwriter's Bible - by David Trottier - Lots of good tips here but best for formatting information.

Making A Good Script Great - by Dr. Linda Seger

Lew Hunter's Screenwriting 434 - by Lew Hunter

Here's several more that I think are MUST HAVE books IF you're seriously trying to write spec scripts for the market:

Save The Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need - by Blake Snyder

The Secrets Of Action Screenwriting - by Willam C. Martell

Teach Yourself Screenwriting - by Raymond G. Frensham

How to Write a Movie in 21 Days - by Viki King

Hot Property: Screenwriting in the New Hollywood - by Christopher Keane

Story : Substance, Structure, Style and the Principles of Screenwriting - by Robert McKee

Write Screenplays That Sell: The Ackerman Way - by Hal Ackerman

I've found these are the definitive, MUST HAVE books for screenwriting. No, I don't do everything inside them. Some of these books helped me with structure, some with writer's block, some with simple motivation but all have something to offer and unless some outstanding new book hits the market, I don't think you would need any more books for a while as you should simply keep going back to these OVER and OVER again. Don't read them once. Read them ten times. Take notes. These were the books that started me on my journey of structure...

Good luck,
filmy

Look for something along of the lines of 101 ways to NOT write a screenplay. I love that one.
==================================================================
(TIPS - ADVICE - MENTORS' BOOKS)

Hi Zeke or any member,
Which one will you guide me to buy? (only one book please).
1. How NOT to write a screenplay : 101 Common Mistakes Most Screenwriters Make (Paperback) by Denny Martin Flinn
2. The 101 Habits of Highly Successful Screenwriters: Insider's Secrets from Hollywood's Top Writers (Paperback) by Karl Iglesias
3. 500 Ways to Beat the Hollywood Script Reader : Writing the Screenplay the Reader Will Recommend (Paperback) by Jennifer Lerch
4. Secrets of Screenplay Structure by Linda Cowgill
5. Making a Good Writer Great: A Creativity Workbook for Screenwriters by Linda Seger, Silman-James Press
6. The Screenwriter's Problem Solver : How to Recognize, Identify, and Define Screenwriting Problems by Syd Field.

Thanks

Step by step guide: Moviemind For Screenwriters: Write It Right And Get It Written -- by W.R. Craig
Everything else: Story: Substance, Structure, Style and The Principles of Screenwriting by Robert McKee
==========================================================================

Hi Boz and other members,
Moviemind For Screenwriters: Write It Right And Get It Written (Paperback) by W.R. Craig.
Is this book helpful for "How to write and complete your script - Guidelines, Inspiration and problem solver" ?
e.g. How to Write a Movie in 21 Days - by Viki King.
Thanks.
P.S.: I wiil buy Story: Substance, Structure, Style and The Principles of Screenwriting by Robert McKee. Any idea, are they going to publish latest edition in the nearest future? (First Edition, 1997 is availavle in Hard Cover). Is Paperback available? Which Edition?.
I am greedy to buy latest edition, if available.

FilmJumper said:

Although I have every book on your list because I'm a student of structure, I would only recommend the following books from it:

Screenwriter's Bible - by David Trottier - Lots of good tips here but best for formatting information.

Making A Good Script Great - by Dr. Linda Seger

Lew Hunter's Screenwriting 434 - by Lew Hunter

Here's several more that I think are MUST HAVE books IF you're seriously trying to write spec scripts for the market:

Save The Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need - by Blake Snyder

The Secrets Of Action Screenwriting - by Willam C. Martell

Teach Yourself Screenwriting - by Raymond G. Frensham

How to Write a Movie in 21 Days - by Viki King

Hot Property: Screenwriting in the New Hollywood - by Christopher Keane

Story : Substance, Structure, Style and the Principles of Screenwriting - by Robert McKee

Write Screenplays That Sell: The Ackerman Way - by Hal Ackerman

I've found these are the definitive, MUST HAVE books for screenwriting. No, I don't do everything inside them. Some of these books helped me with structure, some with writer's block, some with simple motivation but all have something to offer and unless some outstanding new book hits the market, I don't think you would need any more books for a while as you should simply keep going back to these OVER and OVER again. Don't read them once. Read them ten times. Take notes. These were the books that started me on my journey of structure...

Good luck,
filmy

Click to expand...

Hi Film Jumper and other members,

I will not buy "Screenwriting 434 by Lew Hunter" because more than 50% various Message Boards Members rejected this book.

Which shall I choose one from following these three books for Screenwriting Manual - Craft - Structure, Plots, Characters Development - Story Idea Developmnt to Screenplay Technique - How to Guide?

1. Making a Good Script Great - by Dr, Linda Segar
2. Writing Screenplay That sell - by Michael Hauge
3. Screenwriting Updated New and Conventional Ways of Writing for the Screen - by Linda Aronson

(Please note, I will buy Story - by Robert Mckee and Bible - by David Trottier. Both are 100% required.)

434...

kurushdeboo said:

Hi Film Jumper and other members,

I will not buy "Screenwriting 434 by Lew Hunter" because more than 50% various Message Boards Members rejected this book.

Which shall I choose one from following these three books for Screenwriting Manual - Craft - Structure, Plots, Characters Development - Story Idea Developmnt to Screenplay Techmique - How to Guide?

1. Making a Good Script Great - by Dr, Linda Segar
2. Writing Screenplay That sell - by Michael Hauge
3. Screenwriting Updated New and Conventional Ways of Writing for the Screen - by Linda Aronson

(Please note, I will buy Story - by Robert Mckee and Bible - by David Trottier. Both are 100% required.)

Click to expand...

I think you're missing the boat about 434 but no matter...

The only book I know of (and I have every book you've mentioned thus far) that might possibly give you most of what you listed would be Teach Yourself Screenwriting - by Raymond G. Frensham --this little book covers just about everything you could want to know about screenwriting and lists references as well... Not only that, but it is one of the cheaper books on the market.

The top two books in your above list aren't going to teach you what you're looking for... They are more advanced and assume you are already at a basic screenwriting level.

The last one is definitely more what you're looking for however, for me personally, I didn't like a lot of it however, the author does try to get you started on your list of items so the last one would be your best bet to get you started but definitely not all you'll need.

Good luck with it,
filmy

FilmJumper said:

I think you're missing the boat about 434 but no matter...

The only book I know of (and I have every book you've mentioned thus far) that might possibly give you most of what you listed would be Teach Yourself Screenwriting - by Raymond G. Frensham --this little book covers just about everything you could want to know about screenwriting and lists references as well... Not only that, but it is one of the cheaper books on the market.

The top two books in your above list aren't going to teach you what you're looking for... They are more advanced and assume you are already at a basic screenwriting level.

The last one is definitely more what you're looking for however, for me personally, I didn't like a lot of it however, the author does try to get you started on your list of items so the last one would be your best bet to get you started but definitely not all you'll need.

Good luck with it,
filmy

Click to expand...

Thank you very much. I shall do research on internet about "Teach Yourself Screenwriting - by Raymond G. Frensham" before taking decision. You always guide us like a true mentor. Thanks brother.

I posted a couple lists of books in an old topic, here's the links:

http://www.indietalk.com/showpost.php?p=22611&postcount=4

http://www.indietalk.com/showpost.php?p=22614&postcount=6

Oh, and specifically to address the mental block issue, you'll want to pick up The Screenwriter's Problem Solver by Syd Field...

Amazon.com
Can't get your characters to shut up? Is the bit player in Act II more compelling than your protagonist? Do your scenes drag on f-o-r-e-v-e-r? Whatever your problem, screenwriting guru Syd Field can help; he's written four previous books on screenwriting, teaches worldwide, and is "involved in the reading and writing of about a thousand screenplays a year." Screenplays bog down in vague and mysterious ways, says Field; identifying a screenwriting problem is half the battle. Fixing a screenplay that seems dazed and confused might seem like Mission: Impossible, but you've got to have courage under fire. By identifying symptoms in the writing, Field isolates about 20 different screenwriting problems, each related to plot, character, or structure (after all, what else is there?). His fixes generally involve getting to know your characters or story better, through the use of automatic writing, biographical sketches, and the like. For examples of spectacular screenwriting, he offers excerpts from the screenplays for Thelma and Louise, The Shawshank Redemption, Pulp Fiction, Apollo 13, and Silence of the Lambs. Field is a man of many mantras: "Writing is rewriting," "Film is behavior," "Drama is conflict," "Action is character." But his advice is so useful that you'll forgive him his facile phrasemaking. And you'll thank him for persuading you that, yes, "a problem is an opportunity, a challenge that will allow you to ultimately improve your craft." --Jane Steinberg

Book Description
All writing is rewriting. But what do you change, and how do you change it? All screenplays have problems. They happened to Die Hard: With a Vengeance and Broken Arrow-and didn't get fixed, leaving the films flawed. They nearly shelved Platoon-until Oliver Stone rewrote the first ten pages and created a classic. They happen to every screenwriter. But good writers see their problems as a springboard to creativity. Now bestselling author Syd Field, who works on over 1,000 screenplays a year, tells you step-by-step how to identify and fix common screenwriting problems, providing the professional secrets that make movies brilliant-secrets that can make your screenplay one headed for success...or even Cannes. Learn how to:

Understand what makes great stories work
Make your screenplay work in the first ten pages, using Thelma & Louise and Dances With Wolves as models
Use a "dream assignment" to let your creative self break free overnight
Make action build character, the way Quentin Tarantino does
Recover when you hit the "wall"-and overcome writer's block forever.

Click to expand...

Will Vincent said:

I posted a couple lists of books in an old topic, here's the links:

http://www.indietalk.com/showpost.php?p=22611&postcount=4

http://www.indietalk.com/showpost.php?p=22614&postcount=6

Oh, and specifically to address the mental block issue, you'll want to pick up The Screenwriter's Problem Solver by Syd Field...

Click to expand...

Hi Will Vincent,
Thanks for Syd Field Book of "Problem Solver" and also for your books suggested on your link.
========================================================================
Here's a few other books I recommend on various topics:

Character/Story Development:
Creating Unforgettable Characters - Linda Seger
Complete Writer's Guide to Heroes & Heroines - Tami D. Cowden
45 Master Characters - Victoria Schmidt
20 Master Plots - Ronald B. Tobias
Thirty-Six Dramatic Situations - Georges Polti
=========================================================================
First question,
Why did you omit these Three prestigious books?
1. Aristotle's Poetics for Screenwriters: Storytelling Secrets from the Greatest Mind in Western Civilization
by Michael Tierno
Paperback
An insightful how-to guide for writing screenplays that uses Aristotle's great work as a guide.

2. The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers
by Christopher Vogler
Paperback
At the beginning of The Writer's Journey, Christopher Vogler asserts that "all stories consist of a few common structural elements found universally in myths, fairy tales, dreams, and movies." Some may be hard-pressed to accept this idea (and will wonder how storytellers from Homer to Shakespeare to Robert Altman might respond to the proposition). Others may imagine that since Vogler uses movies like the Star Wars trilogy and The Lion King to defend his mythological philosophy, he is, unwittingly, listing the reasons why Hollywood films of the last 20 years have been so unimaginative. But there's no doubt that Vogler's notion, based on psychological writings by Carl Jung and the mythmaking philosophy of Joseph Campbell, has been profoundly influential. Many screenwriters have used Vogler's volume to understand why certain scenarios sell, and to discover a blueprint for creating mythic stories of their own.

3. The Art of Dramatic Writing by Lajos Igri
(Best Classic Book)

Second Question,
Can you tell me which books should I buy from your six books list of Character / Story Development? What's your opinion about DRAMATICA BOOK? Is it worth buy or only buy if you have Dramatica Software?
Thanks brother.

kurushdeboo said:

First question,
Why did you omit these Three prestigious books?
1. Aristotle's Poetics for Screenwriters: Storytelling Secrets from the Greatest Mind in Western Civilization
by Michael Tierno

2. The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers
by Christopher Vogler

3. The Art of Dramatic Writing by Lajos Igri

Click to expand...

I have never read any of them..

Second Question,
Can you tell me which books should I buy from your six books list of Character / Story Development? What's your opinion about DRAMATICA BOOK? Is it worth buy or only buy if you have Dramatica Software?
Thanks brother.

Click to expand...

I don't believe I've read the dramatica book either...

45 Master Characters is pretty darn nifty, and the 20 master plots or 36 dramatic situations books would be good too.. If I had to pick only one I think I'd go with the 45 master characters.... but it really would depend on what kind of script you want to write, if it's character driven, there you go, but if it's not (like an action movie or something) then you might be better off with something more like the other two I just mentioned.

Books...

kurushdeboo said:

Hi Will Vincent,
Thanks for Syd Field Book of "Problem Solver" and also for your books suggested on your link.
========================================================================
Here's a few other books I recommend on various topics:

Character/Story Development:
Creating Unforgettable Characters - Linda Seger
Complete Writer's Guide to Heroes & Heroines - Tami D. Cowden
45 Master Characters - Victoria Schmidt
20 Master Plots - Ronald B. Tobias
Thirty-Six Dramatic Situations - Georges Polti
=========================================================================
First question,
Why did you omit these Three prestigious books?
1. Aristotle's Poetics for Screenwriters: Storytelling Secrets from the Greatest Mind in Western Civilization
by Michael Tierno
Paperback
An insightful how-to guide for writing screenplays that uses Aristotle's great work as a guide.

2. The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers
by Christopher Vogler
Paperback
At the beginning of The Writer's Journey, Christopher Vogler asserts that "all stories consist of a few common structural elements found universally in myths, fairy tales, dreams, and movies." Some may be hard-pressed to accept this idea (and will wonder how storytellers from Homer to Shakespeare to Robert Altman might respond to the proposition). Others may imagine that since Vogler uses movies like the Star Wars trilogy and The Lion King to defend his mythological philosophy, he is, unwittingly, listing the reasons why Hollywood films of the last 20 years have been so unimaginative. But there's no doubt that Vogler's notion, based on psychological writings by Carl Jung and the mythmaking philosophy of Joseph Campbell, has been profoundly influential. Many screenwriters have used Vogler's volume to understand why certain scenarios sell, and to discover a blueprint for creating mythic stories of their own.

3. The Art of Dramatic Writing by Lajos Igri
(Best Classic Book)

Second Question,
Can you tell me which books should I buy from your six books list of Character / Story Development? What's your opinion about DRAMATICA BOOK? Is it worth buy or only buy if you have Dramatica Software?
Thanks brother.

Click to expand...

The Writer's Journey by Vogler is a MUST HAVE BOOK but not necessarily for screenwriting... This book was expanded from a memo written by Vogler when he was working for Disney. It became so famous in Hollywood that it eventually was passed around to all the studios as required reading...

Most if not all of Vogler's theory stems from Joseph Campbell's research which is readily available... Vogler's book is outstanding but it won't teach you anything about screenwriting... It will however, help you with your story structure as well as explain more in layman's terms, the Hero's Journey when it comes to storytelling.

Buy it.

filmy

First List Of Screenwriting Books To Buy.

After great advice from zeke_monny, FilmJumper, Will Vincent, Boz Uriel and Message Boards cum Internet Reviews, I would like to buy following books (not a single book read by me from this list) as a beginner - student without any screenwriting training or experience except my own incomplete amature scripts and story ideas journal.

At present, I have only TWO BOOKS of Screenplay Writing:

1.) FILM SCRIPTWRITING : A PRACTICAL MANUAL - by Dwight V. Swain, Focal Press, 1976 Edition, Reprinted in 1987.
(I loved this Theory book for students. I thought this one book was sufficient for every aspects / areas / subjects of Screenwriting. But I was wrong.)

2). SCREENPLAY - THE FOUNDATION OF SCREENWRITING. A Step - by - Step guide from Concept to Finished Script - by SYD FIELD.
(I bought it last year to remove my MENTAL BLOCK to finish my incomplete scripts and convert my story Ideas into screenplay. 90 to 120 pages formula and 1 page = 1 minute. But I learned only one practical thing from this author : "The hardest thing about Writing is knowing what to write." Sorry, I don't blame the book. I blame myself : "Writing is a personal responsibility; either you do it or you don't." - by Syd Field. I don't Know why 75% Message Boards Users hate Syd Field. Let's not debate about it to loose the track of this thread.)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FIRST LIST OF BOOKS TO BUY FOR SCREENPLAY WRITING SELF-LEARNING TRAINING (BUYING PRIORITY IN 1 TO 13 PREFERENCE ORDER)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Screenwriter's Bible - by David Trottier
2. Story : Substance, Structure, Style and the Principles of Screenwriting - by Robert McKee
3. The Secrets Of Action Screenwriting - by Willam C. Martell
4. How NOT to write a screenplay : 101 Common Mistakes Most Screenwriters Make (Paperback) by Denny Martin Flinn
5. The Art of Dramatic Writing by Lajos Egri
6. The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers by Christopher Vogler
(Can I sacrifice the ORIGINAL "The Hero with a Thousand Faces (Mythos Books) by Joseph Campbell"? Vogler's book is based on original Joseph's book but specialized in writing and much easier than orginal as per critics.)
7. Creating Unforgettable Characters - Linda Seger
8. Aristotle's Poetics for Screenwriters: Storytelling Secrets from the Greatest Mind in Western Civilization by Michael Tierno
(Can I sacrifice the ORIGINAL "Aristotle's Poetics by Aristotle" ? Tierno's book is much easier than original as per critics.)
9. Writing the Thriller Film : The Terror Within by Neill D. Hicks
10. Writing Short Films, 2nd Edition : Structure and Content for Screenwriters by Linda J. Cowgill.
11. The Art of Adaptation : Turning Fact And Fiction Into Film by Linda Seger
12. Writing Dialogue by Tom Chiarella, Story Press
13. Writing the Romantic Comedy by Billy Mernit
14. best film comedy writing book not yet decided. (No.1 Book not yet found. Too many choices.)
15. best screenwriting craft book (No.1 Book not yet found. Too many choices.)


Do you agree with my First List of Books to buy? Which books I should omit to save my hard earned money and energy? I hope, other beginners will do less research if you will agree with my list.

Do you have any reliable cheapest online or retail store including less shipping charges for a non-US country (cheaper than Amazon & Writers Stores) for buying above books?

Thanks for giving me prompt positive respose every time. Wishing you good luck to fulfill your dreams at the earliest.

Check Amazon for used copies.

Will Vincent said:

Check Amazon for used copies.

Click to expand...

AMAZON & WRITERS' STORES Shipping charges are very high per book. Any online stores who charge very less for shipping charges for non US country if we buy in big lot like 5 to 10 books.

Are you happy with my first list or do you want me to reduce list? Which books are waste moneywise and energywise in my list? Please let me know to save my money. Thanks.

Have you tried asking a local/regional bookstore to special-order books for you?

They'll be importing books anyway, and should be able to add special requests to their regular incoming shipments for very little.

_______

If you can't do that, try checking the international divisions of Amazon. They don't have one in India, but they do have one in China. That's a lot closer, and may have lesser shipping costs.

_______

There has to be some kind of online book retailer in India. The closest I could find (didn't look too hard, mind you) was a place called IndiaPlaza.com

They are based in the USA, but have a relationship of some kind with India. I wasn't going to create an account there to see what the shipping costs were, but I imagine they would be reasonable if they are trying to capture the Indian export market.

(I added a few of the above books to the cart... all of them were special order and would take about 35 days to ship & deliver)

I've never heard of IndiaPlaza.com before, and it would be smart to look up their reputation before actually going through them. That applies to any online entity that is not well-known.

_______

Oh! I bet there are specialty bookstores, in your cities that have the big film productions. (Similar to how Samuel French Bookstores are in the Hollywood area.) An Indian-equiv of that might even keep screenwriting & other film-related books in stock.

Good luck with your film projects.

From Where To Buy

Thanks Will Vincent and Zensteve.
I have checked IndiaPlaza.com site. It's not upto the mark for specialized books. Not interested.
I have tried to look into Amazon China site which is not in english.

Zen, you are right. We do have two International Books Stores: "Crossword" and "Oxford" in India. But they are not specialized in Screenwriting, Filmmaking or Performing Arts like Samuel French Books Shop in Hollywood. They want to impress Performing Arts community in India. They have lots of books in our category having 10 to 20 copies! mostly in general subjects of Films, Hollywood Movies, Stars, Film History, Critic Books on subjects blah---bla---bla....

If you give them your list of specialised books, it's not there 95%. They check in their computers if you give them Book's ISBN Number. They will put order with extra premium for importing these books. Forget about any discount. You will have to pay extra money on tax and Shipping charges. And I want discount because I will buy more than 5 books at a time.
Anyway, don't worry, I have spoken to my US friend. He will buy fee books and courrier or send through his relatives coming to India.
Will Vincent, what is the procedure to buy Used Books from Amazon?. I read in site that these Used Books directly send through the selling customer.
Both of you did not give me any advice about which book I should omit from my list to buy. Plaese guide me.
Thanks brothers.