Resource Guide: Screenwriting
Screenwriting is hard. Doing it well is even harder. The only way to improve is to write something, ask for notes from people who know better than you, and revise accordingly. And then write some more and repeat the process. And then keep writing. It takes a lot of time and a lot of practice. There’s no easy option, or as my high school band teacher often told us, “There’s no substitute for hard work.”
There’s also no list of resources, however complete, that can replace face-to-face instruction and mentorship.
But valuable resources DO exist, and I want to share a couple that I keep close at hand whenever I sit down to start a new screenplay.
The Hollywood Standard
This guide to script formatting is a MUST HAVE resource for any screenwriter. The author, Christopher Riley, spent years in the Warner Bros. script department and explains all the rules in a way that's both easy to understand and entertaining. I own the hard copy and the ebook so I can refer to it anytime, any place. Even though I feel relatively confident in my own formatting knowledge, every script seems to require a special rule I don't use often enough to remember. That's when I turn to Professor Riley, and he always has the answer.
Save the Cat!
Blake Snyder's Save the Cat! is a controversial pick. A lot of voices out there think this book has ruined screenwriting. I disagree. I think all Snyder did was point out patterns in story structure that have existed and worked for ages. And if they work, why not use them? Like The Hollywood Standard, this is a resource I refer to time and again as I'm writing. Snyder's "Save the Cat" rule is by far the most valuable, in my opinion (apparently in his own opinion as well, otherwise he wouldn't have used it for the book's title); most of the other tips I use to spice up or improve a screenplay after I have a first draft. When I'm working through rewrites and something just doesn't feel right, I turn to this book to help me put my finger on what can be done to make my screenplay better.
Bergman Manor and The Detective’s Secretary
Okay, so these aren't resources I use. They're screenplays I've written. But let me explain. One of the best ways to learn how to apply all the formatting rules and story structure concepts and character development advice is to see examples. No good screenwriter ever learned her craft without reading good scripts.
You can find the scripts for some of your favorite movies on various websites, and you can even buy some of them at a bookstore. Those are great, and I highly encourage you to read scripts of movies you know well – understanding how directors and actors translate stories and characters from page to screen is an incredibly valuable exercise.
But there's also great value in reading scripts that haven't yet been produced. And so I offer you my own paltry contribution to the world of screenwriting resources. Read these. Study them. Critique them. Practice recognizing story beats and subtext and setups and payoffs. Adopt the techniques that work for you. Learn from the ones that don't.
If you teach screenwriting and would like to buy my screenplays in bulk to use in your classroom, visit my Super Secret Store and get 40% off the retail price on orders over $100.