Limes with Orange

Since I'm embarking on a screenwriting project with my new actress friend, I've decided it's high time to read a few of those books that have been moldering on my Amazon.com wish list for ages:

Story: Substance, Structure, Style and The Principles of Screenwriting
by Robert McKee

The Writer's Journey, Second Edition: Mythic Structure for Writers
by Christopher Vogler

Memento & Following
by Christopher Nolan

Four Screenplays: Studies in the American Screenplay
by Syd Field

How Not to Write a Screenplay: 101 Common Mistakes Most Screenwriters Make
by Denny Martin Flinn

And since none of those were at the library when I dropped into my local branch without checking the catalogue first, I got these books to get started with:

The Tools of Screenwriting: A Writer's Guide to the Craft and Elements of a Screenplay
by David Howard, Edward Mabley
(I've read everything except the film analyses, so far, and I'm really getting a lot out of it. Definitely not your paint-by-numbers screenwriting book but with plenty of practical fundamentals for the novice screenwriter.)

How to Write a Movie in 21 Days
by Viki King
(I've glanced through sections of this book before but would like to actually read the whole thing this time. Yes, it is more of a paint-by-numbers book, but it has that "get your ass in gear and just start writing already" motivation that some of us writers need.)

Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting; A step-by-step guide from concept to finished script
by Syd Field
(Looked interesting whilst I was thumbing through its pages at the library. We'll see if further reading upholds that first impression.)

How to Write a Selling Screenplay
by Christopher Keane
(Ditto my comments on the previous title.)

And a couple more titles that I might look for (based on Amazon Listmania recommendations):

The Screenwriter's Bible: A Complete Guide to Writing, Formatting, and Selling Your Script
by David Trottier

Adventures in the Screen Trade
by William Goldman

And since they say that a beginning screenwriter should read at least 50 scripts before writing one of her own, I think I'll head on over to Drew's Script-O-Rama and pick a few to get the ball rolling. (Hmm, let's see... I want early drafts, not shooting scripts... hey, they've got the first draft of Aliens! Being a self-professed James Cameron junkie, I think I'll start with that...)

Labels: film, writing