Recommend A Book On How To Write A Screenplay?

[Quasimodem]

A friend of ours, who works as a cameraman in LA, is interested in a part of my life which involves my German grandparents who were separated after WWII (long story) and he wants me to take a shot at writing a screenplay.

I majored in English Lit/Journalism, but my experience has been writing news stories for broadcast and a few magazine/newspaper articles.

So does anyone have any suggestions for me?

Thanks!

Quasi

[silenus]

Learn from a master.

[GuanoLad]

I wrote a screenplay, then I got a book on how to write a screenplay to follow, for fixing my second draft. That way I was unfettered by confusing or unfamiliar terminology until I needed it. It’s easier to edit something you have, than start from scratch and doing it “properly” first time out.

I have this book, but there are tons of equally good or better ones out there.

[Quasimodem]

Thanks, silenus, but could the description for this be wrong? It mentions all 3 “Freddie” books?

Thanks

Q

[Quasimodem]

@GuanoLad

I wrote a screenplay, then I got a book on how to write a screenplay to follow, for fixing my second draft. That way I was unfettered by confusing or unfamiliar terminology until I needed it. It’s easier to edit something you have, than start from scratch and doing it “properly” first time out.

I have this book, but there are tons of equally good or better ones out there.

GuanoLad, how’d you do selling it? Is it something I may have seen?

Q

[GuanoLad]

I didn’t sell it. That’s harder than the hardest thing in the world. I just wrote it, as an exercise for myself.

[Exapno_Mapcase]

@Quasimodem

Thanks, silenus, but could the description for this be wrong? It mentions all 3 “Freddie” books?

Thanks

Q

Yes, that description is wrong. A weird glitch.

I’m not an expert and I’m not familiar with that book, but. One of the reviews says:

The Complete Book of Scriptwriting is not really a how to guide for writing. The Complete Book of Scriptwriting touches on these aspects such as a scripts length, margin settings, subtext and dialog. However, The Complete Book of Scriptwriting is more so a guide to the business of writing written by a writer who was also a TV producer.

The book is 10 years old. That makes it obsolete because the business has changed that much in 10 years. It may still be correct and useful for the aspects it touches on but the odds are against that. Since you’re writing to order you undoubtedly need something that’s more a direct guide to how to write and structure a screenplay and less on the business. And you want something that’s as recent as possible.

[Quasimodem]

Thanks, Everyone!

I AM paying attention, and I would like to try this, with a bit of help from you.

If I do complete a screenplay, would any of you be agreeable to looking at it, and making corrections for shared credit?

Thanks Very Much!

Quasi

[Corcaigh]

@Quasimodem

I AM paying attention, and I would like to try this, with a bit of help from you.

If I do complete a screenplay, would any of you be agreeable to looking at it, and making corrections for shared credit?

I’m more than happy to help (although my skills are slightly out of date) I wrote a boatload of stuff back in the 90s [and had the misfortune to have the World’s Worst Literary Agent]

[LynnM]

Quasimodem, I’m reading the recently published:

Writing in Pictures: Screenwriting Made (Mostly) Painless
by Joseph McBride

Very interesting and well-written–you might consider it:

Writing in Pictures: Screenwriting Made (Mostly) Painless: McBride, Joseph:...

[Quasimodem]

Thanks, everyone, and thank YOU, Corcaigh!

This gives me a new project

Q

[Corcaigh]

@Quasimodem

Thanks, everyone, and thank YOU, Corcaigh!

No problemo, I’ve let my writing lapse of late, would be fun to get back into it again!