My 5 Favorite Screenwriting Books
My 5 Favorite Screenwriting Books
If you’re looking for wonderful knowledge about screenwriting, these are 5 Favorite Screenwriting Books.
#5 Save The Cat Strikes Back by Blake Snyder
All the stuff Blake Snyder thought of after his first book, he put in his second. The book was published 3 months after Blake's death at the early age of 52, but he left us with some amazing devices.
#4 The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure For Storytellers and Screenwriters by Christopher Volger
This book melds together mythology and storytellingl. The Writer's Journey is based on the writings of Joseph Campbell, but this is easier to absorb, and it's more relatable to most of us.
#3 The Story Solution: 23 Actions All Great Heroes Must Take by Eric Edson
Written by the Professor of Screenwriting and Director of the Graduate Program in Screenwriting at California State University, Northridge, this book explores a step-by-step blueprint for proper hero goal sequences.
#2 Save The Cat by Blake Snyder
Screenwriters Love this book or hate it, and I love it. Blake Snyder can correctly beat out 98% of blockbuster movies. His beats and study of film are remarkable. This book is perfect for first-time screenwriters because it’s a plethora of information, and it’s a really fun read. A book many of us refer to again and again.
#1 Writing Movies for Fun and Profit by Robert Ben Garant & Thomas Lennon
This book is so entertaining and will often make you burst out laughing. You won’t learn as much about how to write a screenplay as Save the Cat, but this book will inspire you to become successful in Hollywood. The authors have made more money and produced films than all the other authors on this list combined.
If you’re looking for wonderful knowledge about screenwriting, these are 5 Favorite Screenwriting Books.
#5 Save The Cat Strikes Back by Blake Snyder
All the stuff Blake Snyder thought of after his first book, he put in his second. The book was published 3 months after Blake's death at the early age of 52, but he left us with some amazing devices.
#4 The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure For Storytellers and Screenwriters by Christopher Volger
This book melds together mythology and storytellingl. The Writer's Journey is based on the writings of Joseph Campbell, but this is easier to absorb, and it's more relatable to most of us.
#3 The Story Solution: 23 Actions All Great Heroes Must Take by Eric Edson
Written by the Professor of Screenwriting and Director of the Graduate Program in Screenwriting at California State University, Northridge, this book explores a step-by-step blueprint for proper hero goal sequences.
#2 Save The Cat by Blake Snyder
Screenwriters Love this book or hate it, and I love it. Blake Snyder can correctly beat out 98% of blockbuster movies. His beats and study of film are remarkable. This book is perfect for first-time screenwriters because it’s a plethora of information, and it’s a really fun read. A book many of us refer to again and again.
#1 Writing Movies for Fun and Profit by Robert Ben Garant & Thomas Lennon
This book is so entertaining and will often make you burst out laughing. You won’t learn as much about how to write a screenplay as Save the Cat, but this book will inspire you to become successful in Hollywood. The authors have made more money and produced films than all the other authors on this list combined.
There are tons of posts around (including on this blog) about how to shorten a screenplay that's too long. After recently being told our 101 page comedy should be 90 (YES. 90. Things are getting that short) I've embarked on a shortening journey.
There are certain inalienable truths of shortening: It's a pain in the ass. It's not fun. It takes a lot of concentration and determination. But finally, it has to be done.
So I thought we could share some tips that I haven't seen around the internet and maybe also comment on those tips.
First and foremost: Don't use the TIGHT feature on Final Draft. That's cheating and you'll end up looking like a total noob.
Here are some common practices:
1) Clean up widows and orphans. Don't let any one word of dialogue get a whole line.
2) Look for big chunks of dialogue. Reword thing so they are shorter.
3) Same for action paragraphs.
Here's what I've found useful while scanning our screenplay:
1) Look for blocks of action tacked onto the end of your scenes. Do you need this at all? Probably it is too detailed. We don't need to know how someone walks away. just that they walk away at all.
2) Look for LONE lines of action between dialogue. Can this be tacked on to earlier action paragraphs or deleted all together? Each of these takes 3 LINES in your screenplay. And it's probably not worth it.
3) Look at ALL YOUR WRYLIES. And delete them. Then read through again and see if you needed them at all.
4) CUT FREELY. Cut broad swaths from your screenplay. Don't be afraid. If you miss a joke, you can always put it back in, and chances are you'll forget it was ever there. Make them scenes trim and fit, yo!
5) Look for ellipses. Are they really needed. Are they the character hesitating, or you hesitating as you wrote?
6) Do you have really long character names? Comb through and see if maybe characters are referred to by name too often (either in action or in dialogue).
That's all we can think of for now that isn't covered in depth elsewhere.
Oh! And it's been said so many times before, but it needs repeating - get into your scenes as early as possible, and get out as late as possible!
There are certain inalienable truths of shortening: It's a pain in the ass. It's not fun. It takes a lot of concentration and determination. But finally, it has to be done.
So I thought we could share some tips that I haven't seen around the internet and maybe also comment on those tips.
First and foremost: Don't use the TIGHT feature on Final Draft. That's cheating and you'll end up looking like a total noob.
Here are some common practices:
1) Clean up widows and orphans. Don't let any one word of dialogue get a whole line.
2) Look for big chunks of dialogue. Reword thing so they are shorter.
3) Same for action paragraphs.
Here's what I've found useful while scanning our screenplay:
1) Look for blocks of action tacked onto the end of your scenes. Do you need this at all? Probably it is too detailed. We don't need to know how someone walks away. just that they walk away at all.
2) Look for LONE lines of action between dialogue. Can this be tacked on to earlier action paragraphs or deleted all together? Each of these takes 3 LINES in your screenplay. And it's probably not worth it.
3) Look at ALL YOUR WRYLIES. And delete them. Then read through again and see if you needed them at all.
4) CUT FREELY. Cut broad swaths from your screenplay. Don't be afraid. If you miss a joke, you can always put it back in, and chances are you'll forget it was ever there. Make them scenes trim and fit, yo!
5) Look for ellipses. Are they really needed. Are they the character hesitating, or you hesitating as you wrote?
6) Do you have really long character names? Comb through and see if maybe characters are referred to by name too often (either in action or in dialogue).
That's all we can think of for now that isn't covered in depth elsewhere.
Oh! And it's been said so many times before, but it needs repeating - get into your scenes as early as possible, and get out as late as possible!