Reading professional journals, websites, blogs, and e-zines is a good way to peer inside professional circles and absorb their concerns and discussion topics. When you need to pass as a professional, this is an excellent way of learning to walk the walk and talk the talk. Acting is not just for actors.
Today there are so many useful texts and manuals, it is best to browse them online until you see what calls to you. Good book information can be found at websites like The Writers Store (www.writersstore.com), Amazon (www.amazon.com), or Barnes and Noble (www.barnesandnoble.com). The Writer’s Store has writing software and runs webinars. Amazon and Barnes & Noble often let you see chapter lists and sample text, and they also make it easy to find allied titles or books by a favorite author. For used copies at reasonable prices, try either Barnes & Noble’s used books, or the gargantuan Abebooks website at www.abebooks.com. Entering “screenwriting” as the search-engine keyword, I was offered 4,725 copies, with the first 50 priced under $2.00. Be aware however that bargains may be disfigured by annotations or hard wear, though I have always found copies as described.
Useful books on adapting literature, documentary, and screenwriting are already listed at the end of the following chapters: Chapters 17 and 20, adapting short stories; Chapters 18 and 19, nonfiction and documentary; Chapter 21, screenwriting for the feature film.
Legal
Donaldson, Michael and Lisa Calif. Clearance & Copyright 4th Edition: Everything You Need to Know for Film and Television. Silman-James, 2014 (Protecting your work, and negotiating with others about theirs. Rights, releases, partnerships, registering copyright, fair use, and a whole lot of other heart-stopping issues).
Theatre
Dow, Jan Henson and Shannon Dow. Writing the Award-Winning Play. 2003.
Dramatist’s Guild. The Dramatists Guild Resource Directory. 2012 (Good for help with submission procedures and the theatrical marketplace).
Garrison, Gary. A More Perfect Ten: Playwriting and Producing the 10-Minute Play. 2008 (The short play is an excellent way to break in).
Gooch, Steve. Writing a Play. 2001.
Hall, Roger A. Writing Your First Play. 1998.
Hart, Anne. How to Write Plays, Monologues, or Skits from Life Stories, Social Issues, or Current Events. 2004 (A good accessory for anyone working in soap opera, comedy, or theatre that is political and/or satirical—all genres that keep a weather eye on current events).
Hatcher, Jeffrey. The Art and Craft of Playwriting. 2000.
MacLoughlin, Shaun. Writing for Radio: How to Write Plays, Features, and Short Stories That Get You on Air. 2001 (National Public Radio has stations all over the USA making radio features and documentaries, as does the BBC in England, and the CBC in Canada—to name but a few).
McLaughlin, Buzz. The Playwright’s Process: Learning the Craft from Today’s Dramatists. 1997.
Packard, William. Art of the Playwright: Creating the Magic of the Theatre. 1987.
Polsky, Milton. You Can Write a Play! 2002.
Sossaman, Stephen. Writing Your First Play. 2000.
Sweet, Jeffrey. The Dramatist’s Toolkit: The Craft of the Working Playwright. 1993.
Wright, Michael. Playwriting in Process: Thinking and Working Theatrically. 2009.
Prose Fiction
The barriers to writing prose fiction are less obviously technical than writing for film and theatre, but this is surely misleading. The number of texts available to would-be fiction-writers is truly enormous and can be grouped by genre and aim. Here anyway are some books chosen by area that cater to the self-directed writer. You can infinitely enlarge this selection by entering keywords describing your particular interest in the bookseller’s search engine.
Bell, James Scott and Writer’s Digest editors. Crafting Novels & Short Stories: The Complete Guide to Writing Great Fiction. 2012.
Browne, Renni and Dave King. Self Editing for Fiction Writers. 2004 (Full of excellent advice from two professional editors).
Dils, Tracey E. You Can Write Children’s Books. 2009.
Frey, James N. The Key: How to Write Damn Good Fiction Using the Power of Myth. 2002.
Gotham Writers’ Workshop editor. Writing Fiction: The Practical Guide from New York’s Acclaimed Creative Writing School. 2003.
Grafton, Sue (Editor), Writing Mysteries: A Handbook by the Mystery Writers of America. 2002.
Highsmith, Patricia. Plotting and Writing Suspense Fiction. 2001 (A rarity, a how-to by a foremost practitioner).
LaPlante, Alice. The Making of a Story: A Norton Guide to Creative Writing. 2010.
Lukeman, Noah T. The First Five Pages: A Writer’s Guide to Staying Out of the Rejection Pile. 2005.
Maass, Donald. The Career Novelist: A Literary Agent Offers Strategies for Success. 1996.
Michaels, Leigh. On Writing Romance: How to Craft a Novel That Sells. 2007 (The author should know: she has published more than one hundred books).
New York Writers Workshop. The Portable MFA in Creative Writing. 2006.
North, Audra. The Romance Writer’s Self-Publishing How-to Handbook. 2014 (For those interested in pursuing the self-publishing route).
Roberts, Gillian. You Can Write a Mystery. 1999.
Seuling, Barbara. How to Write a Children’s Book and Get It Published. 2004.
Shepard, Aaron. The Business of Writing for Children: An Award-Winning Author’s Tips on Writing and Publishing Children’s Books, or How to Write, Publish, and Promote a Book for Kids. 2000.
Vinyard, Rebecca. Romance Writer’s Handbook: How to Write Romantic Fiction and Get It Published. 2004.
Whitely, Carol and Barry Littmann. Everything Creative Writing Book: All You Need to Know to Write a Novel, Short Story, Screenplay, Poem, or Article. 2002.
Index
Note: page numbers in italics indicate figures.
Academy Award 179
Across the Bridge 136
act 12, 68
action vs. words 87–8, 104, 130, 134; example of 86–7
active expectation 135
active vs. passive voice 39–40, 83, 84
actor-centered generative method 177, 179, 180
adaptation 108–9, 128–31; example of 109–10, 111–12, 113–15, 131–2, 136, 206
Adaptation 206
agency 39–40
agenda of character 49–50, 61, 69, 181; see dramatic problem
Altman, Robert 141
analogy 170, 199
Anna Karenina 195
antagonist 128, 129, 161; example of 57, 91, 92, 149
Apted, Michael 20, 21
archetypes 52, 57–8, 72, 93, 119, 122, 126; see also character, development of
Arquette, Patricia 179
Art and Fear 19
art as therapy 14–15
artistic identity 3, 17, 20, 22–3, 183, 185, 189
As I Lay Dying 84
audience role 4, 73, 84, 85, 112–13, 198
Auster, Paul 183
author role 4, 73
authorial point of view 151; see also point of view
author’s rights 81
Bach, Johann Sebastian 16
backstory 30, 31, 54, 61, 62, 110, 156, 194, 195; example of 92, 99, 148, 156; see also character, development of
Baer, Peter 16
Baum, L. Frank 14
Bergman, Ingmar 141, 179, 180, 182
Bierce, Ambrose 151
Birth of a Nation 173
blocking 101
Bonnie and Clyde 158
Boyhood 179, 182
Brontë, Emily 132
Butor, Michel 192
Campbell, Joseph 52, 116–7, 127
Camus, Albert 115
Capa, Robert 137, 138
Capture of Spotted Horse, The 45
Cassavetes, John 141, 179, 180, 182
catharsis 152
Cather, Willa 136
character-driven drama 63–5, 201
characters 10–11, 37, 77, 153; active vs. passive 39–40; development of 37–8, 54�
�6, 69, 70, 75–6, 131, 133, 145, 146, 153; dramatic problem of 46–7, 131; flat vs. round 57, 119; point of view of 39, 57–9, 68, 74–6
cinema 4, 14, 16, 84, 88, 113, 119, 127, 128, 129, 130, 131, 136, 139, 177, 179, 192, 195, 202, 203, 207
Citizen Kane 170
climax see crisis
CLOSAT 10–12, 30–1, 36–7, 41, 80; see also act; character; location; object; situation; theme
clustering 22
Cold Mountain 174, 175
collaboration 5, 16, 30, 32, 177, 182, 203; and film 177
“collective unconscious” 57
Collins, Wilkie 67–8, 145
Columbus, Chris 190
comedy 32, 50, 52, 64, 113, 134, 152, 153, 158, 160, 162–3, 171; black 65; example of 58, 154–9, 159–62, 181–2, 206; slapstick 200
complications 51, 52, 67, 69, 70, 78, 112–13, 171–2, 197; example of 87
conflict 14, 26, 69, 74, 76, 179, 181, 190, 191–2, 194, 196; example of 91, 123, 149, 155; see also story elements
confrontation see crisis
connotation 22, 38, 181; example of 100
Constant Forge, A 179
context 38, 101, 143, 146, 194
“contract” 68, 195, 196
Copenhagen 207
Coppola, Francis Ford 210
Crane, Hart 136
creating characters 7, 54; see also character, development of
creative tension 187
credibility 52–3, 130, 153, 158
crisis 50–1, 52, 67, 70, 78, 85, 86, 92, 93, 95, 119, 131, 134, 139, 144–5, 153, 161, 162, 165, 197; example of 86, 87, 89–90, 91, 92, 137, 142, 161
critic role 4, 73, 84, 85
Dada movement 119
Davis, Andrew 193
Dean, James 58–9
Death of a Salesman 207
delay, as storytelling technique 145
denotation 38
development 5, 8, 14, 36, 37–8, 39, 46, 50, 56, 69, 70, 75–80, 112, 131, 134, 136, 146, 158–9, 162, 164, 182, 187, 191; see also dramatic problem
“devised theatre” 177, 182
Dickens, Charles 63–4, 172
“Dîner de Cons, Le” 133–5
Dinner Game, The 134–5, 135
displacement 20, 84; example of 64
documentary: action in 143, 144; character-driven 146; characters in 145, 146; conflict in 145; confrontation in 144–5; context 143, 146; dramatic tension 144, 199; examples of 143, 147; interview in 143, 144; manipulation in 144; planning 142; observational 142; participatory 142; point of view in 145, 147; proposal for 207; research for 141–2; three-act structure in 148; types of 146; voice-over in 144; see also objectivity, myth of
Don’t Look Now 136, 192, 192
“Doralice” 108
drama 46–7, 51, 52, 64, 68, 70, 73, 74, 75, 87, 93, 100, 135, 137, 144, 169, 196, 197; example of 50; family 23; graphing 70; see also character-driven drama; plot-driven drama
dramatic arc see dramaturgy
dramatic delivery system 75–6
dramatic problem 46–7, 75, 131
dramatic tension 50, 119, 144
dramatic unit 52
dramaturgy 50–3, 62, 63, 70
dream journal 9, 93, 118–19
“dream” sequence 190
editorializing 110
embellishment 103; example of 106
emblem 170; example of 170
empathy 91, 130
“Encounter, An” 131–2
Enrico, Robert 151
excess baggage 197–8
exposition see setup
Eyre, Chris 197
fable see folktale
Faces 179
fairy tale 100–1, 117, 126
falling action see dramaturgy
family drama 23
farce 98, 156; example of 97–8
Farmer’s Wife, The 142
Faulkner, William 84, 129, 136
fear, overcoming 8, 20, 24, 187
feature film: examples of 165–9; shopping list of sequences 168–9
feedback 79–80, 84–5, 198
fiction 8, 15, 177
figurative language 170
film noir 113
first person: example of 86–7, 131–2
“Fisherman’s Wife, The” 62–3, 65, 68
Fitzgerald, F. Scott 136
folk story see folktale
folktale 50, 58, 76, 93, 106–7, 108, 116, 119, 157, 185
foreshadowing 115–16
Forrest Gump, 58, 58
Forster, E. M. 57
Fowles, John 40–1
Frayn, Michael 207
Frazier, Charles 174, 175
French Lieutenant’s Woman, The 40, 40–1
Fugitive, The 193, 193
genre 53, 65–6, 74, 76, 77, 113, 153, 156, 158, 160, 162, 163, 165, 185, 186, 194–5, 199, 202
givens see backstory
Go-Between, The 64–5, 65, 66
Godard, Jean-Luc 135, 141
“God’s POV” 190; see also point of view, omniscient
“Good Country People” 70
Graduate, The 49
Grapes of Wrath, The 136, 171
Greene, Grahame 136
Griffith, D. W. 172, 173
Guzman, Patricio 143, 143
Happy-Go-Lucky 181, 182
Hardy, Thomas 67, 99
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone 190
Hartley, L. P. 64
Hawthorne, Nathaniel 136
Hecate 107
Hemingway, Ernest 136
Heraclitus 116
Hero with a Thousand Faces, The 116–17
hero/heroine see protagonist
hero’s journey 52, 57, 116–17, 123–4, 158
Hero’s Journey, The 116
high art vs. low art 199–200
Hitchcock, Alfred 136
hook see “contract”
Hugo, Victor 15
ideation 3, 6, 16, 83, 182, 201
identification 49–50, 59
“imagination” sequence 190
improvisation 8, 28–9, 30, 31, 36, 37, 39, 141, 177, 181
Incident at Oglala, 20, 21
inciting moment 50–1, 52, 60
inner eye 56, 83, 84, 85
“intensity meter” 197
“It Had to Be Murder” 136
James, Henry 136
Jetée, La 151, 152
Jonze, Spike 206
Joyce, James 129, 131–2
Jung, Carl 57, 127
juxtaposition 40, 58, 101, 119, 191, 194, 202, 203; example of 98–100, 102, 143
Kaufman, Charlie 206
Kimbrell, Marketa 19
King Arthur 103, 106, 177
King, Rodney 111
Korty, John 136
Kubler-Ross stages of loss 160
legend 50, 58, 93, 100, 106, 108, 116, 157, 177, 185; example of 109–11
Leigh, Mike 141, 181–2
leitmotif 99
Lesser, Margaret Powell 26–7, 27
Levi, Primo 14
linear story line see story structure, chronological
Linklater, Richard (Rick) 49, 179
“Little Red Riding Hood” 68, 71–2
location 10–1, 30, 36; example of 11, 35
Lynch, David 190
McClaren, Norman 151
Madame Bovary 136
Marker, Chris 151, 152
Maslow’s hierarchy 61
Maurier, Daphne du 136
Mayor of Casterbridge, The 67
medium 7, 8, 32, 40, 75, 130, 131, 174, 198, 199, 201, 202
Melville, Herman 5
memoir 84, 140, 177
memory 23, 27, 38, 77, 83, 84, 85, 91, 93, 144, 152, 190, 193; use of 86–7
“memory” sequence 190
metaphor 93, 119, 170, 171, 194, 199, 203
Miller, Arthur 172, 207
Miller, Henry 183
“moment of vision” 13
momentum 39, 51, 67, 70, 196
montage 101, 197
; example of 160; see also juxtaposition
moral forces 57, 162, 165
morality tale 57, 107, 108, 112, 113, 134, 153, 155, 158, 187
Morris, Errol 143
motif 99; example of 98–9
Mulholland Drive 190, 191
multiple endings 108, 143, 197–8, 198
multiple points of view 58, 100, 103, 104, 190
Music School, The 136
Musical Offering 16
myth 58, 93, 100–1, 106–7, 108, 109, 115–16, 119, 125, 152, 157, 177, 185
Myth of Sisyphus 115
Naked 182
narrative 22, 36, 45, 52, 61, 68, 73, 74, 93, 101, 106, 111, 119, 122, 129, 134, 148, 151, 152, 192, 194, 195, 198, 199, 203, 206
narrative archetypes 122
narrative compression 172
narrative intention 75–6
narrative movement see dramaturgy
narrative perspective see point of view
narrative tension see dramaturgy
narrative tropes 116
narrative voice 132; see also point of view
narrative, chronological see story structure, chronological
narrative, nonchronological see story structure, nonchronological
narrator: example of 131–2; unreliable 39, 58 see also point of view
Neighbours 151
news file 9
nonfiction 8, 15, 177, 211
nonlinear story line see story structure, nonchronological
Nostalgia for the Light 143, 143
nouvelle vague 192
novel 4, 7, 68, 70, 75, 94, 164, 172, 195, 201, 206, 209–10; self-published 210
object 10, 11; see CLOSAT
objectivity, myth of 139, 194
Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, An 151, 192
O’Connor, Flannery 70, 136
Oliver Twist 63–4, 64, 66
omniscient point of view 68, 172, 190
oral tradition 95, 103, 106, 108
Orchid Thief 206
originality 6–7, 153, 165
outcome see resolution
Developing Story Ideas Page 25