Book List for Beginners and Advanced Screenwriters
ScriptFLY's Recommendations

Here are some books ScriptFLY recommends that will narrow your search through the plethora of screenwriting book titles. Character and story are always intertwined, but I've listed (in parenthesis) what I believe is the stronger focus of the book.

Character and Story Development

  • The Art of Dramatic Writing, Lajos Egri - This is not for everyone. The book was written in 1946, specifically for playwriting, but I highly recommend it for screenwriting. Its depth of information converts over well for the screenplay format. (Character Development, Story Structure)
  • Aristotle's Poetics - Aristotle IS the master. He was the very first to research and analyze story structure. The fundamentals haven't changed. (Story Structure)
  • The Hero with a Thousand Faces, by Joseph Campbell - This book is not the easiest read, but explains the hero's journey by using the classic myth structure. (Story Structure, Character Development)
  • The Writer's Journey, by Christopher Vogler - This is like the "Cliff notes" version of The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Its content is taken directly from it, sifting out a lot, and focusing on myth structure for screenwriters. But like "Cliff notes" it waters down the details. (Story Structure)
  • Stealing Fire from the Gods, by James Bonnet - Also based on Campbell's research on mythic structure, but it also examines the structure of fables and fairly tales. It will help you apply these golden forms to you own writing and give you a new insight into story development. (Story Structure, Story Development)
  • Screenwriting From the Heart, by James Ryan - A unique book that will help to write a character-driven screenplay. (Character Development)

Structural Development

  • Screenplay, by Syd Field - Known for converting plot points to page numbers. It is a good basis to begin learning screenplay structure, but WARNING -- be careful about plopping your plot points onto pre-established page numbers. This rigid form of writing makes formulaic and wooden screenplays. (Screenplay Structure)

Reference

Dictionaries
The American Heritage Dictionary

Thesaurus
Ah, how I love my thesaurus. Your writing software may have a thesaurus, but you won't be sorry spending the cash on a good thesaurus when you realize it IS your little helper. I recommend two:

Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus - Comes in paperback and has a section they call Concept Index, which can come in handy when seeking words.
The Synonym Finder by Rodale - I have to admit since I bought The Synonym Finder, I've been grabbing that one first.

Word Finder
This fabulous compliment to your toolbox will give that thesaurus an extra edge. I recommend:

Random House's Word Menu - It's organized by subject matter and has juicy sections that list terms for Verbs of Speech and Expressions, Character and Behavior, and specific words for describing specific professions and fields. And has a thesaurus on terminology and jargon.

Grammar
Strunk & White's The Elements of Style -- This is the classic of grammar books.
Action Grammar, Fast, No-Hassle Answers on Everyday Usage and Punctuation, by Joanne Feierman.
The Chicago Manual of Style

Baby Names
You'll never again be at a loss for choosing character names, nor will you be unaware of the name's genesis. There are books with last names as well. How else can you know that your character Kendrick is of Anglo-Saxon descendants and has "royal ruler" attributes?

Also books on myth names and encyclopedia's of God/esses. Especially useful for Sci-Fi and Fantasy writers. *Added by Rachael Cailliach (eclectic writer)

Slang
There are plenty of books on slang, some are specialized slang: street slang, hospital slang, sexual slang phrases, as well as general slang. Slang books are dope for dialogue.

Screenplays
While you don't need a library of other writer's scripts, it comes in handy to reference them. Sometimes, you just have to read how they wrote it on the page.

Formatting Software
Each screenwriter swears by the software they use. I've used Final Draft for years. All you really need in a software program are: Formatting Options and a good spell check. If you don't have the money for a good software package, use any word software and program your macros according to standard screenplay format.

The main thing you're looking for in software is the ability to re-format or change elements globally with just a few clicks.

Formatting Book
The Complete Guide to Standard Script Formats (Part 1: The Screenplay), by Cole/Haag - This book tells you how to set up your margins for those who do not have screenwriting software. It also goes into what fonts to use, how to write scene headings (sluglines), title page margins, etc.

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