Reviews of Writing Books
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Screenwriting by Skip Press
Alpha Books, November 2000.Hardcover, 365 pages.
ISBN: 0028639448
Ordering information:
Amazon.com.
Skip Press, a professional screenwriter,
author, and writing teacher,
does a wonderful job of sharing his extensive
knowledge of screenwriting and the movie
business in this practical and thorough
resource. Skip begins the
instruction with a look at the evolution of
storytelling, an informative look at how
storytelling has developed from the time of the Greek
playwrights to movies to the digital age.
The second section, "What to Write," provides instruction
about finding movie ideas and setting up
a screenwriting schedule. The third section,
"How to Write Your Screenplay," provides
writing advice and instruction on such subjets as
outlines, reordering scenes, the importance
of your first ten pages, screenplay design
and structure, writing feature films and rewrites.
The fourth section covers screenplay readings,
improving screenplays, writing for television,
short films and digital films.
The final section covers the industry
itself, including chapters on amateur mistakes,
screenwriting gurus, mentors, selling scripts and
screenwriting careers.
Helpful tips (called Skip's Tips) are provided in every section next to a small icon of Skip. Other tips and suggestions, including definitions of Hollywood terms, warnings of potential pitfalls and inside Hollywood information are also provided. Skip really knows his stuff, and his insight into how Hollywood works is invaluable. Numerous examples and anecdotes about well-known screenwriters, directors and stars help writers get a better understanding of how Hollywood operates. He also provides some great inside scoop about the deals behind the big movies. If you are interested in screenwriting and are looking for a guide that will provide you with information about the business, advice, ideas for writing screenplays and get you started in the right direction, then this reference will give you a solid foundation from which to base a screenwriting career. For novice screenwriters who don't know how to begin or what to do this book is absolutely essential. Highly recommended.
Fiction Writer's Brainstormer by James V. Smith, Jr.
Writer's Digest Books, October 2000.Hardcover, 292 pages.
ISBN: 0898799430
Ordering information:
Amazon.com.
This unusual, but effective reference
and tool for fiction writers
helps with the creativity side of
writing -- the creation of story ideas,
plot lines, characters,
scenes, words and other aspects
of fiction. The book provides a variety of
tools, tests, puzzles, creativity exercises
and tricks for improving fiction writing.
The book is also a goldmine of
facts, charts and graphs conveying a
variety of information related to books
and writing. Examples include graphs
that show the percent of passive voice
used by bestselling authors and the average
reading level of novels by major author.
A section covering the habits of
highly successful writers is also
very informative. Some of the habits detailed
include using continuous speech recognition
software to dictate fiction, knowing when
you have to right stuff for a big book, ignoring
writer's block and writing stunning dialogue.
Fiction writers trying to develop plots, scenes and characters will benefit from the Fiction Writer's Brainstormer which forces writers to be creative, and offers lots of different ways to get the creative juices flowing. The book is also helpful for breaking writer's block and jumpstarting your writing. A well-imagined problem solver and reference for fiction writers.
Guerrilla Marketing for Writers by Jay Conrad Levinson, Rick Frishman, Michael Larsen
Writer's Digest Books, October 2000.Hardcover, 288 pages.
ISBN: 089879983X
Ordering information:
Amazon.com.
Most writers are usually very reluctant
to attempt the marketing and
self-promotional tactics necessary to get
them a successful career in writing.
Often this reluctance or "fear of
marketing" is because they do not understand
marketing and promotion and they are not
aware of the many benefits and all the different
types of promotional opportunities that are
available at their disposable. Guerrilla Marketing
for Writers calls these promotional opportunities
"weapons" and provides hundreds of suggestions
and tips for writers to market their books and
themselves.
Marketing topics (weapons) covered in the book include:
using the Internet, interviews, networking,
talks, press kits,
websites, email marketing tools, excerpts,
reading groups, book signings, book festivals,
book covers, thank-you notes, bookmarks, press
releases, satellite tours, book reviews and many others.
The book also includes valuable suggestions
for using the writing skills a writer already has
to find additional paying venues and for creating
copy and promotional material themselves to
promote existing work. An appendix in the
book includes a directory of marketing-related
resources, lists of marketing weapons in order
of importance, information about how to
find a publicist and a sample media kit.
The tone of the book is encouraging and positive. The book introduces the reader to the marketing possibilites of new technologies, with excellent coverage of the endless possibilities available to writers for marketing with the Internet, computers and other technologies. The book also helps writers with smaller budgets by listing and explaining the costs associated with various promotional efforts. Guerrilla Marketing for Writers is a thorough and practical guide for the writer who wants to ensure every chance possible for commercial success.
Return to the December-January 2001 issue of The IWJ.
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