Making A Good Script Great
Screenwriting books abound and not all are effective tools for learning the craft of scriptwriting. When in doubt, stick to the titles written by people who have had at least some measure of professional success; no point in trying to learn from someone who can not sell a script to save their life. On the other hand, some individuals seem to have a knack for teaching, rather than making. Linda Seger is one of these people.
Making a Good Script Great has developed a bit of a cult like following over the past years. It is a very good book for scriptwriting that provides a lot of real world examples to accentuate her points; this I believe is the primary reason for its success. She just plain has a good way of illustrating what she talks about through popular reference. It does not offer the same easy to follow specifics of a title like Screenwriting Goldmine by Philip Gladwin, but it is definitely in the category of must read literature.
This title covers all the screenwriting book essentials like subplots, motivation, turning points, beats, back story, and themes; all described in easy to understand language and referenced with a variety of movies for relevant emphasis.
The book follows the typical screenwriting curriculum by being organized into four different sections on story structure, idea development, character development, and a case study for punctuation. What makes this book successful is Seger's ability to use popular movies as a reference for defining each element of structure she introduces; this makes all her points relevant and illustrates the professional success of those that have implemented similar techniques.
Making a Good Script Great by Linda Seger is one of the better books on the art of screenwriting and should be on every writers bookshelf. Although Linda herself has not written many successful screenplays her book is highly regarded and has helped many writers to improve their work.
Other Relevant Titles by Linda Seger:
Some other books of note (worth reading) by this author are Advanced Screenwriting, Making a Good Writer Great, Creating Unforgettable Characters and The Art of Adaptation.
Making a Good Script Great has developed a bit of a cult like following over the past years. It is a very good book for scriptwriting that provides a lot of real world examples to accentuate her points; this I believe is the primary reason for its success. She just plain has a good way of illustrating what she talks about through popular reference. It does not offer the same easy to follow specifics of a title like Screenwriting Goldmine by Philip Gladwin, but it is definitely in the category of must read literature.
This title covers all the screenwriting book essentials like subplots, motivation, turning points, beats, back story, and themes; all described in easy to understand language and referenced with a variety of movies for relevant emphasis.
The book follows the typical screenwriting curriculum by being organized into four different sections on story structure, idea development, character development, and a case study for punctuation. What makes this book successful is Seger's ability to use popular movies as a reference for defining each element of structure she introduces; this makes all her points relevant and illustrates the professional success of those that have implemented similar techniques.
Making a Good Script Great by Linda Seger is one of the better books on the art of screenwriting and should be on every writers bookshelf. Although Linda herself has not written many successful screenplays her book is highly regarded and has helped many writers to improve their work.
Other Relevant Titles by Linda Seger:
Some other books of note (worth reading) by this author are Advanced Screenwriting, Making a Good Writer Great, Creating Unforgettable Characters and The Art of Adaptation.
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