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On  Writing  &  Screenwriting

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Movies About Screenwriting

"Whenever I am asked what kind of writing is the most lucrative,
I have to say, a ransom note."
— Hollywood literary agent H.N. Swanson [1899-1994]

"Whatever you do, don't put your heart into your scripts. You'll get it broken."
— literary critic Richard Gilman

Links  for  Screenwriters

Creative Commons - free flexible copyright

Southern California Writers Assn. [Orange County]
Hollywood Literary Sales
Spec Script Marketplace / Pitch Sessions
Scriptiverse's Script Marketplace
MovieBytes: Screenwriting Markets & Contests Online
ScriptSupplies.com
U.S.C. Scripter Awards [March]
Sherwood Oaks Experimental College
Writers Digest Int'l. Screenplay Competition [Oct]
Simply Scripts where you can post your unproduced script
[U.S.] National Punctuation Day [est. 22 August 2004]
Screenwriting Museum Project in Santa Monica, CA
Arizona Screenwriters Assn.
New Mexico Screenwriters Speakers Series
Inwell Newswatch ezine
A.M.P.A.S. Teachers Guide pages on Screenwriting
Screenwriters Federation of America {Flash only}

Project Greenlight 3.0: Director Contest + Screenplay Contest
Project Greenlight 2.0 Script & Directing Contests [Oct 2002]
"Stolen Summer" (The Project Greenlight 2000 Movie) on IMDb

Screenwriting  Conferences

Southern California Writers Conference - San Diego [Feb 2004 = #18]

'Opening Doors To Hollywood' conferences [March/June/October 2003]

'From Concept To Sale' Conference [March 2003 = #9]

The Screenwriting Conference in Santa Fe NM [May 2003 = #5]

National Latino Writers Conference [May 2006 = #4] in Albuquerque, NM

Writers Guild Foundation 'Words Into Pictures' Conference [June]

Maui Writers Conference [Labor Day Weekend]

StoryCon: World's First Summit Meeting
On the Art, Science & Application of Story
in Palm Springs CA [Sept 2003 = #2]

Screenwriting Expo in Los Angeles [Oct 2006 = #5]

Heart of Film Screenwriters Conference [Oct 2004 = #11] in Austin, TX

Southern California Writers Conference - L.A./Oxnard [Oct 2003 = #2]

ShawGuide Directory of Writers Conferences & Workshops

Books  on  Screenwriting

	"The Anatomy of Story: 22 Steps To Becoming A Master Storyteller" [2007] Hollywood story consultant John Truby's long-awaited first book Faber & Faber 9x6 hardcover [10/2007] for $19.80
	"What Happens Next: A History of American Screenwriting" [2007] by Marc Norman Harmony Books 9½x6½ hardcover [10/2007] for $21.17
	Backstory 4: Interviews With Screenwriters of The 1970s & 1980s" [2006] by Patrick McGilligan Univ CA Press pb [1/2006] for $18.96 Univ CA Press 9¼x6½ hardcover [1/2006] for $60.00
	"Professional Screenwriters Series, Vol. I" [2005] 90-minute class sessions presented by A-list screenwriters Steven de Souza, Gerald DiPego, Don Roos, Bruce Joel Rubin & Preston Whitmore Fade In Publishing Group audio CD set [5/2005] 5 disks for $69.95 "Professional Screenwriters Series, Vol. II" [2005] 90-minute class sessions presented by A-list screenwriters Takashi Bufford, Dan Gordon, Peter Iliff, Mark Steven Johnson & James Mangold Fade In Publishing Group audio CD set [5/2005] 5 disks - unavailable at Amazon?
	"Filmmaking for Dummies" [2003] by Bryan Michael Stoller, Foreword by Jerry Lewis Wiley & Sons 9¼x7½ pb [7/2003] for $12.99
	"Novels Into Film" [orig 1957; rev 2003] by George Bluestone Johns Hopkins Univ Press 8½x5½ pb [3/2003] for $19.95
	"Screenwriting for Dummies" [2003] by Laura Schellhardt Wiley & Sons 9x7¼ pb [1/2003] for $13.59
	"Screenwriting On The Internet: Researching, Writing & Selling Your Script On The Web" [2001] by Christopher Wehner Michael Wiese Prodns 9x6 pb [11/2001] for $16.95 author's website
	"The Screenwriter's Survival Guide: Or, Guerrilla Meeting Tactics & Other Acts of War" [2001] by Max Adams Warner Books 8x5¼ pb [3/2001] for $11.16

"Zen & the Art of Screenwriting 2: More Insights and Interviews" [2000] by William Froug SCB Intl 8x8 pb [10/2000] for $15.37

	"The Savvy Screenwriter: How To Sell Your Screenplay (And Yourself) Without Selling Out!" [2000] by Susan Kouguell T.L.Hoell Books 9x6 pb [9/2000] for $10.47
	"Which Lie Did I Tell: More Adventures In The Screen Trade" [2000] by William Goldman Vintage 8x5¼ pb [2/2001] for $10.50 Bloomsbury Publg hardcover [8/2000] for $18.98 Pantheon 9.4x6½ hardcover [7/2000] out of print/used
	"Myth & The Movies: Discovering The Mythic Structure of 50 Unforgettable Films" [1999] by Stuart Voytilla Michael Wiese Prodns 10x7 pb [10/99] for $17.79
	"Screenwriting 101: The Essential Craft of Feature Film Writing" [1999] by Neill D. Hicks Michael Wiese Prodns 9x6 pb [9/99] for $11.87
	"500 Ways To Beat The Hollywood Script Reader: Writing The Screenplay The Reader Will Recommend" [1999] by Jennifer M. Lerch Fireside 8½x5½ pb [7/99] for $9.60
	"Screenwriting For Hollywood" audio [1998] by Michael Hauge Writer's AudioShop [1/98] two tapes for $17.95 seminar website
	"Story: Substance, Structure, Style & The Principles of Screenwriting" [1997] by Robert McKee HarperCollins 9½x6½ hardcover [10/97] for $24.50 Harper Audio ABR [12/97] for $17.50 seminar website
	"Backstory 3: Interviews With Screenwriters of The 1960s" [1997] Edited by Patrick McGilligan Univ Calif Press 9x6 pb [3/97] for $24.95 Univ Calif Press 9¼x6.4 hardcover [3/97] out of print/used

"Zen & The Art of Screenwriting 1: Insights & Interviews" [1996] by William Froug Silman-James Press 8x8 pb [12/96] for $14.67

	"Teach Yourself Screenwriting" [1996] by Raymond G. Frensham "a great nuts and bolts book on screenwriting" McGraw-Hill 8x5 2nd edition pb [4/2003] for $9.97
	"Screenwriting Tricks of The Trade" [1992] by William Froug Silman-James Press 8½x5½ pb [10/92] for $8.76 Writer's AudioShop cassette [1/99] for $12.95
	"The New Screenwriter Looks At The New Screenwriter" [1992] by William Froug Silman-James Press 9x6 pb [2/92] for $11.17
	"Writing Screenplays That Sell" [1991] by Michael Hauge Harper 8x5.3 pb [8/91] for $11.90 seminar website
	"Backstory 2: Interviews With Screenwriters of The 1940s & 1950s" [1991] Edited by Patrick McGilligan Univ Calif Press 9x6 pb [5/97] for $24.95 Univ Calif Press 9¼x6¼ hardcover [6/91] out of print/used
	"Film Flam: Essays On Hollywood" [1988] {reprinted from "American Film"} by Larry McMurtry Touchstone 8x5.4 pb [9/2001] for $9.60 Touchstone hardcover [8/88] out of stock/used
	"The Art of Screenwriting: An A to Z Guide To Writing A Successful Screenplay" [1987] by William Packard Thunder's Mouth Press 8¼x5½ pb [6/2001] for $11.16 Marlowe & Co. 9x6 pb [4/94] out of print/used Paragon House hardcover [2/87] out of print/used
	"Backstory 1: Interviews With Screenwriters of Hollywood's Golden Age" [1986] Edited by Patrick McGilligan Univ California Press 9x6 pb [11/89] for $24.95 Univ California Press hardcover [12/86] out of print/used
	"Adventures In The Screen Trade: A Personal View of Hollywood & Screenwriting" [1983] by William Goldman Warner Books 8x5.4 pb [5/89] for $13.27 Random House hardcover [3/83] out of print/used
	"The Complete Book of Scriptwriting" [1982] by J. Michael Straczynski Writers Digest Books 9x6 pb [7/2002] for $13.99 Writers Digest Books 9.3x6.3 hardcover [10/96] out of print/used
	"Writing The Script: A Practical Guide For Films & Television" [1980] by Wells Root Henry Holt pb [6/87] out of print/used Owl Books pb [1/80] out of print/used
	"The Screenwriter Looks At The Screenwriter" [1974] by William Froug Silman-James Press 9x6 pb [4/91] for $12.57 Dell pb [3/74] out of print/used
	"Vale's Technique of Screen & Television Writing" [original 1944; rev 1972] by Eugene Vale Focal Press 9¼x6 pb [3/98] for $34.99 Grosset & Dunlap [1972] out of print/used

Working Screenwriters

Peter Layton of Canada
official website • movie credits

screenwriter-playwright Tom Stoppard
browse books • explore videos/DVDs • Broadway credits • movie credits • Wikipedia

Books  on  Writing  -  in  general

	"Weinberg On Writing: The Fieldstone Method" [2005] by Gerald M. Weinberg Dorset House Publng 9x6 pb [11/2005] for $24.95 author's official website
	"Ten Percent of Nothing: The Case of The Literary Agent From Hell" [2004] by Jim Fisher (former F.B.I. agent) Southern IL Univ Press 9¼x6¼ hardcover [5/2004] for $27.50
	"The Writer's Quotebook: 500 Authors On Creativity, Craft & The Writing Life" [2006] Compiled, arranged & edited by Jim Fisher Rutgers Univ Press 9x6¼ hardcover [9/2006] for $22.95
	"The Writer's Handbook 2007" Edited by Barry Turner Macmillan 8¼x6x2 inches thick! pb [8/2006] for $16.47 2006 edition: Macmillan 8¼x6x2 inches thick! pb [4/2006] for $16.47
	"Ayn Rand: My Fiction-Writing Teacher" [2005] by Erika Holzer Madison Press pb [12/2005] for $20.00 author's website
	"13 Ways of Looking At The Novel" [2005] by Jane Smiley Anchor 7¾x5¼ pb [9/2006] for $10.85 Knopf 9¼x6¼ hardcover [9/2005] for $17.79
	"The Writer's Voice" [2004] by A. Alvarez W.W. Norton 8½x5¾ hardcover [11/2004] for $14.93
	"Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach To Punctuation" [2004] by Lynne Truss listed as Los Angeles Times Book Review Best of 2004 Gotham 7¼x5¼ hardcover [4/2004] for $13.57 Penguin UNABR audio CD [4/2004] for $10.17 official booksite
	"Common Errors In English Usage" [2003] by Paul Brians William James & Co. 9x6 pb [3/2003] for $10.20 official booksite
	"The Spooky Art: Some Thoughts On Writing" [2003] by Norman Mailer "[This] may be the most insightful book written about writing." — Robert Jaffee, L.A. Weekly Random House 8x5¼ pb [2/2004] for $11.16 Random House 9½x6½ hardcover [1/2003] for $17.47
	"The Plot Thickens: 8 Ways To Bring Fiction to Life" [2002] by Noah T. Lukeman St. Martin 7x5 pb [6/2003] for $10.36 St. Martin 7½x5.3 hardcover [7/2002] for $13.97 author's booksite
	"Stealing Fire From The Gods: A Dynamic New Story Model For Writers & Filmmakers" [1999] by James Bonnet "It cracks the code to great story telling." Michael Wiese Prodns 9x6 pb [9/99] for $26.95 author's website
	"Description" (WD Elements of Fiction Writing) [1999] by Monica Wood Writers Digest Books 9x6 pb [8/99] for $10.39 Writers Digest Books 9¼x6¼ hardcover [8/99] out of print/used
	"Beginnings, Middles & Ends" (WD Elements of Fiction Writing) [1999] by Nancy Kress Writers Digest Books 9x6 pb [5/99] for $10.39
	"Dynamic Characters: How to Create Personalities That Keep Readers Captivated" [1998] by Nancy Kress Writers Digest Books 9.4x6 pb [7/98] for $13.29
	"The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers" [1992] by Christopher Vogler Michael Wiese Prodns 9x6 pb [11/98] for $17.47 author's website
	"Zen in the Art of Writing: Essays on Creativity" [1989] by Ray Bradbury Capra Press Expanded Edition 8x5½ pb [4/94] for $10.36 Bantam pb [4/92] for $5.85
	"The Art & Craft of Novel Writing" [1989] by Oakley M. Hall Story Press 9½x7½ pb [8/2001] for $15.99 Writers Digest hardcover [3/89] out of print/used
	"Joseph Campbell & The Power of Myth" [PBS mini-series 1988] Mystic Fire/Winstar DVD [10/2001] 2 disks/6 hours for $50.99 full credits from IMDb Joseph Campbell Foundation
	"Plot" (WD Elements of Fiction Writing) [1988] by Ansen Dibell Writers Digest Books 9x6 pb [8/99] for $10.39 Writers Digest Books 9¼x6¼ hardcover [8/88] out of print/used
	"The Art of The Novel" [1986] by Milan Kundera Harper Perennial 8¼x5¼ pb [4/2003] for $10.75 Harper Perennial 8x5½ pb [1/89] out of print/used Faber & Faber hardcover [12/88] out of print/used
	"The Art of Fiction: Notes On Craft For Young Writers" [1984] by John Gardner Vintage 8x5¼ pb [6/91] for $9.60 Knopf hardcover [1/84] out of print/used
	"The Writer's Quotation Book: A Literary Companion" [1980] Edited by James Charlton Faber & Faber 4th edition 7½x5&frac hardcover [10/97] out of print/used
	"The Art of Dramatic Writing" [S&S 1960] by Lajos Egri Touchstone 8x5¼ pb [2/72] for $9.60
	"The Hero With A Thousand Faces" [1949 classic] by Joseph Campbell Princeton Univ Press 9x6 pb [3/72] for $11.87 Princeton Univ Press hardcover [12/89] out of print/used Audio Renaissance ABR [3/95] for $13.97 Audio Renaissance ABR audio CD [1/2001] for $25.20 Joseph Campbell Foundation
	"Becoming A Writer" [1934 classic] by Dorothea Brande J.P. Tarcher 8x5 pb [3/81] for $9.95

Magazines  for  Writers

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Books  On  Cinema

	"The Power of Film" [2006] by Howard Suber {U.C.L.A. Professor Emeritus} Michael Wiese Prodns 8½x5½ pb [9/2006] for $18.45
	"On Film-Making" [2005] by Alexander Mackendrick [1912-93] {Dean of the Film School at CalArts for 25 years}, edited by Paul Cronin, Foreword by Martin Scorsese "One foresees that this book will have a long & useful life in film schools."    — Richard Schickel, Los Angeles Times Book Review Section Faber & Faber pb [8/2005] for $10.88 Faber & Faber hardcover [8/2005] for $23.10
	"The Art of the Moving Picture" [orig 1915; rev 2000] by Vachel Lindsay [1879-1931]; edited by Martin Scorsese Modern Library 8x5 pb [3/2000] for $15.00 original editions: IndyPublish 9x6 pb [2/2005] for $35.99 IndyPublish 9x6 hardcover [2/2005] for $41.99
	"The Big Picture: 'Who Killed Hollywood?' and Other Essays" [1999] by William Goldman Applause 9x6 pb [2/2001] for $11.87 Applause 9¼x6¼ hardcover [11/99] for $16.77
	"Hollywood 101: The Film Industry" [2000] by Frederick Levy Renaissance Books 9x6 pb [3/2000] for $13.97

Movies  About  Screenwriting

"Adaptation"  [Propaganda Films Dec 2002]

An oddity: a movie about the outrageous events occurring while adapting a non-fiction book, "The Orchid Thief", as a feature film, with Cage playing the dual role of twin writer-brothers with polar-opposite personalities. Directed by Spike Jonze; starring Nicolas Cage (dual role), Meryl Streep (dual role), Chris Cooper, Cara Seymour & Rheagan Wallace; won Oscar for Best Supporting Actor (CC); nominations for Best Script/Adaptation, Best Actress (Streep), Best Actor (Cage); also won 1 of 4 BAFTA noms; noms for SAG (3), USC Scripter & WGA awards; listed A.F.I. Best 10 Films of 2002; PEN Center West Award for 'Best Screenplay' Sony widescreen color DVD [5/2003] for $13.99 Sony color VHS [8/2003] out of prodn/many used Astralwerks/EMD soundtrack CD [11/2002] for $18.98 full credits from IMDb "Adaptation" The Shooting Script" [2002] by Charlie Kaufman Newmarket Press pb [12/2002] for $13.27 Newmarket Press hardcover [12/2002] for $26.95

"The Orchid Thief: A True Story of Beauty & Obsession" [1999] by Susan Orlean Ballantine 8.2x5½ pb [10/2002] for $11.20 EconoClad hardcover [9/2000] for $16.14 Random House hardcover [1/99] out of stock/used

"Best  Friends"  [Warner Bros. Dec 1982]

Two screenwriters who have lived together for years suddenly marry. They then travel by train to visit each other's parents, while under pressure from a producer for more revisions on a script with a very tight shooting deadline. Directed by Norman Jewison; starring Burt Reynolds, Goldie Hawn, Jessica Tandy, Barnard Hughes, Audra Lindley, Keenan Wynn & Ron Silver Warner widescreen color DVD [1/2004] for $11.99 Warner color VHS [1/93] out of print/used full credits from IMDb

"Boy  Meets  Girl"  [Warner Bros. Aug 1938]

Two screenwriters devise a plot for the studio's cowboy star that involves a baby. The baby becomes a star, and the cowboy and his agent run off with the mother and the kid. Directed by Lloyd Bacon; script by Bella & Samuel Spewack from their Broadway play; starring James Cagney, Pat O'Brien, Marie Wilson, Ralph Bellamy, Frank McHugh, Dick Foran, Bruce Lester & Penny Singleton M.G.M. b&w VHS [9/98] out of prodn/used full credits from IMDb "Studio One" telecast June 1949: video/kinescope not availaible • credits from IMDb playscript of "Boy Meets Girl" [1935] and "Spring Song" [1934] Dramatist's Play Service 7½x5¼ pb [10/46] for $7.50 credits of 1935 Broadway play

"Paris  When  It  Sizzles"  [Paramount April 1964]

Hired to write a movie, Holden instead lives it up in Paris; with just two days to deliver the script, he hires Hepburn as secretary to help. Directed by Richard Quine; script by George Axelrod; starring William Holden, Audrey Hepburn & Noel Coward Paramount VHS [4/2001] for $14.95 Paramount widescreen DVD [4/2001] for $17.99 full credits from IMDb Partly-based on Julien Duvivier's "La Fκte ΰ Henriette" [France 1952] video not available; full credits from IMDb

"The  Player"  [Avenue/Spelling April 1992]

A screenwriter is blackmailing a movie studio executive... Directed by Robert Altman [1925-2006]; novel & script by Michael Tolkin; starring Tim Robbins, Greta Scacchi, Fred Ward, Whoopi Goldberg, Peter Gallagher, Dean Stockwell, Sydney Pollack & Lyle Lovett, plus many cameos; 3 Oscar noms, won 2 BAFTA, won 2 at Cannes, won WGA Best Script/Adaptation New Line Special Edition widescreen color DVD [7/97] for $14.49 New Line color VHS [6/2002] out of prodn/many used full credits from IMDb 11"x17" poster from Amazon for $9.99

"The Player" [1988 novel] by Michael Tolkin Grove Press 8¼x5½ pb [4/97] for $9.60 Atlantic Monthly Press hardcover [6/88] out of print/used Random House ABR audio [5/93] out of stock/used "The Return of The Player" [2006 sequel] by Michael Tolkin Grove Press 8x5¼ pb [7/2007] for $10.40 Grove Press 9¼x6¼ hardcover [8/2006] for $4.80 [sic]

Dr. Linda Seger's website
Colleen Stratton interview with Linda Seger in Nov 2003 Scr(i)pt Magazine

browse all books by Linda Seger

browse all books by Syd Field

	"Syd Field's Screenwriting Workshop: Writing A Screenplay That Sells to Hollywood" [1999] Final Draft DVD $29.00 via The Writers Store Tapeworm VHS [3/99] 2 tapes for $29.00 via The Writers Store Final Draft website 'Syd Field Workshop' info page
	Workshop DVD with FinalDraft 6.0 software [Amazon ranking 646 10/2003] for MAC & Windows systems [2003] for $214.99
	"Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting" [1979 classic] by Syd Field Delta 8x6 pb [11/2005] for $10.88 Dell 8x5½ pb [7/84] out of print/used Fine Commns 8½x5½ hardcover [4/98] out of print/used

Writers'  Software

Writers Store's 'Story Link' online forum [est. 11/2006]

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