SCREENWRIGHT: the craft of screenwriting

Table of Contents


  1. Screenwriting: the Dream v. the Reality
    • The Great American Screenplay
    • Earning Good Fortune
    • Learning the Craft
    • The Five Essentials of Screenwriting
    • Reality 101
    • Keeping the Dream Alive
  2. Your Movie's Concept
    • What's It All About?
    • High Concept
    • Good Movie Concepts
    • Genre
    • Examples
    • Loglines
    • Exercise
    • Is High Concept Necessary?
    • Concepts for Learning v. Concepts for Selling
    • Your Project's Concept
  3. Finding Your Writing Method
    • Different Strokes for Different Folks
    • Tree People v. Forest People
    • Tree People: Everything in its Place
    • Forest People: Creation is Discovery
    • What is Your Natural Writing Method?
    • Writing with a Partner
    • Take the Natural Writing Method Test
  4. Your Screenplays's Structure and Format
  5. Your Hero's Challenge: Writing Act One
  6. Increasing Jeopardy: Writing Act Two (Part One)
  7. Aiming for the Stars: Writing Act Two (Part Two)
    • Keeping the Hero in Focus
    • Cast Yourself a Superstar
    • The Rhythm of Tension
    • Into the Jaws of Defeat
    • The Second Act Plot Point
    • Writing the Second Act, or the Honeymoon in Hell
    • Finishing Your Second Act
    • An Act Two Check List
  8. The Hero's Showdown: Writing Act Three
    • Looking at Act Three
    • The Ticking Clock
    • Gunfight at the Okay Corral
    • The Hero's Growth
    • Must You Have a Happy Ending?
    • Bliss is Typing FADE OUT
    • Finishing Your Script
    • An Act Three Check List
    • From FADE OUT to FADE IN: Preparing to Rewrite
  9. Writing is REwriting
    • The Chainsaw is Your Friend
    • The Forest for Tree People
    • The Trees for Forest People
    • Re-Visualizing Your Story
    • Never a Wasted Moment
    • Does the Hero Grow?
    • Checking Your Protagonist and Antagonist
    • Does Your Prose Sizzle?
    • Is the Audience Satisfied?
    • Rewriting the Script
    • Rewriting Your Script
    • A Final Check List
    • Screenplay Analysts
    • Staging a Reading of Your Screenplay
  10. Tricks of the Trade
    • Read, Watch, Study!
    • Your Life is Your Best Material
    • Should You Join a Writers Group?
    • Start a New Screenplay
    • The Zen of Screenwriting
  11. Marketing Your Screenplay
    • Protecting Your Work
    • Preparing the Package
    • The Pro's and Con's of Contests
    • When Are You Ready to Market?
    • Writing the Query Letter
    • Query Strategies
    • Contacting Producers
    • Contacting Agents
    • Making a Marketing Plan
    • The Development Process
    • Between a Rock and a Hard Place
    • Keeping the Faith
  12. Building a Screenwriting Career
    • Find Your World
    • Prioritize Your Energy
    • Your Movie Concept - Again
    • Find Opportunities
    • Should You Move to LA?
    • The Writing Life
    • Final Thoughts


SCREENWRIGHT: the craft of screenwriting

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