Screenwriting Books

New and Published Books

1. Alternative Scriptwriting

   Beyond the Hollywood Formula, 5th Edition

   By Ken Dancyger, Jeff Rush

   Learn the rules of scriptwriting, and then how to successfully break them! Unlike other screenwriting books, this unique guide pushes you to challenge yourself and break free of tired, formulaic writing--bending or breaking the rules of storytelling as we know them. Like the best-selling previous...

   Published February 7th 2013 by Focal Press
2. The Screenwriter’s Roadmap

   21 Ways to Jumpstart Your Story

   By Neil Landau

   The screenwriter's GPS for writing a great screenplay! Avoid the wrong turns, dead ends, gaping p(l)otholes, and other obstacles commonly encountered when writing a screenplay. The Screenwriter's Roadmap: 21 Ways to Jumpstart Your Story keeps you on route and helps you reach your final destination...

   Published October 3rd 2012 by Focal Press
3. Screenwriter's Compass

   Character As True North

   By Guy Gallo

   Ever watch a movie, and despite great production value, fantastic action sequences, a great cast, etc, you come away thinking-I just didn't buy it. Chances are it was because you didn't care about the characters. Screenwriter's Compass presents a new way of approaching screenwriting, examining how...

   Published February 16th 2012 by Focal Press
4. Screenwriting Tips, You Hack

   150 Practical Pointers for Becoming a Better Screenwriter

   By Xander Bennett

   Screenwriting Tip #99Voice-over usually feels like scaffolding. You know-something you left in there when you were constructing the first draft, but really should have torn out after it served its purpose. Screenwriting Tip #120Always remember that funny trumps everything. Your script could be...

   Published September 27th 2011 by Focal Press
5. Writing for Visual Media

   3rd Edition

   By Anthony Friedmann

   Writing for Visual Media looks at the fundamental problems a writer faces in learning to create content for media that is to be seen rather than read. It takes you from basic concepts to practice through a seven-step method that helps you identify a communications problem, think it through, and...

   Published March 1st 2010 by Focal Press
6. Crafting Short Screenplays That Connect

   3rd Edition

   By Claudia Hunter Johnson, Claudia H. Johnson

   Crafting Short Screenplays that Connect introduces the essential element of 'human connection' - the ability to 'touch' the reader or observer - to the screenwriting and story creation process for short films. Claudia Hunter Johnson teaches the craft of short screenplay writing by guiding you...

   Published August 30th 2009 by Focal Press
7. Raindance Writers' Lab

   Write + Sell the Hot Screenplay, 2nd Edition

   By Elliot Grove

   If you're looking for a straightforward, practical, no-nonsense guide to scriptwriting that will hold your hand right the way through the process, read on! The Raindance Writers' Lab guides you through the tools that enable you to execute a strong treatment for a feature and be well on the way to...

   Published September 28th 2008 by Focal Press
8. Digital Storytelling

   A creator's guide to interactive entertainment, 2nd Edition

   By Carolyn Handler Miller, Carolyn Handler Miller

   Equally useful for seasoned professionals and those new to the field, Carolyn Handler Miller covers effective techniques for creating compelling narratives for a wide variety of digital media. Written in a clear, non-technical style, it offers insights into the process of content creation by...

   Published April 2nd 2008 by Focal Press
9. Write to TV

   Out of Your Head and onto the Screen

   By Martie Cook, Martie Cook

   Learn to craft smart, original scripts and teleplays for a variety of television formats, including comedy, animation, drama, movies of the week, pilots, reality television, TV news magazine, and children's programming. Using the tools the author provides: checklists, sample outlines and treatments...

   Published December 14th 2006 by Focal Press
10. Alternative Scriptwriting

    Rewriting the Hollywood Formula, 4th Edition

    By Ken Dancyger, Jeff Rush, Ken Dancyger, Jeff Rush

    Alternative Scriptwriting 4E is an insightful and inspiring book on screenwriting concerned with challenging you to take creative risks with genre, tone, character, and structure. Concerned with exploring alternative approaches beyond the traditional three-act structure, Alternative Scriptwriting...

    Published September 11th 2006 by Focal Press