This is something I wish I had when first starting out in screenwriting. It’s a list of essential screenwriting books that helped clearly define the screenwriting craft to me.

Each book reveals a new approach, complete with the writer’s own methods, to tackle the challenge of telling a story. You’ll find some that were written for those interested in mythology, interested in writing plays, and those interested in general writing guidelines. Together, I feel these books present a solid foundation for new screenwriters.

Feel free to leave a comment revealing your own list of books below.

1. SCREENPLAY

– by Syd Field

This is one of those books about screenwriting that everyone has read – regardless of whether or not they admit to it. As a pivotal author, professor, and consultant working, Syd became was CNN called “the guru or all screenwriters.”

I highly recommend all of Syd’s books, but if you want to make progress quickly, check out Screenplay first.

Table of Contents

Introduction
1. What is a Screenplay?
2. The Subject
3. The Creation of Character
4. Building a Character
5. Story and Character
6. Endings and Beginnings
7. Setting Up the Story
8. Two Incidents
9. Plot Points
10. The Scene
11. The Sequence
12. Building the Storyline
13. SCreenplay Form
14. Writing the Screenplay
15. Adaptation
16. On Collaboration
17. After it’s Written
18. A Personal Note

2. THE ART OF DRAMATIC WRITING

– Lajos Egri

This was given to me by a screenwriting mentor of mine who swore by the first chapter – Premise. He said it was the only thing screenwriters needed to read about writing … well, at least in this particular book anyway.

I, too, recommend you check out this book – if nothing other than to read the chapter on premise.

Though this book was written for writers interested in writing for theatre, the teachings are highly applicable to screenwriting.

Introduction
Forward
Preface

I Premise

II Character
1. The Bone Structure
2. Environment
3. The Dialectical Approach
4. Character Growth
5. Strength of Will in a Character
6. Plot of Character – Which?
7. Characters Plotting Their Own Play
8. Pivotal Character
9. The Antagonist
10. Orchestration
11. Unity of Opposites

III Conflict
1. Origin of ACtion
2. Cause and Effect
3. Static
4. Jumping
5. Rising
6. Movement
7. Foreshadowing Conflict
8. Point of Attack
9. Transition
10. Crisis, Climax, Resolution

IV General
1. Obligatory Scene
2. Exposition
3. Dialogue
4. Experimentation
5. The Timeliness of a Play
6. Entrances and Exits
7. Why are Some Bad Plays Successful?
8. Melodrama
9. Ob Genius
10. What is Art? – A Dialogue
11. When you Write a Play
12. How to Get Ideas
13. Writing for Television
14. Conclusion

3. STORY

– Robert McKee

In addition to the chapter on premise by Lajos, my mentor also suggested attending Robert McKee’s seminar on Story. Though I’ve yet to attend it yet, I find the book lives up to the hype due to the way McKee explores and describes story as a whole as well as the many elements that make it come to life.

This is perfect for those interested in really breaking down their story and honing each element toward their ultimate vision.

Table of Contents

Part I: The Writer and the Art of Story
1. The Story Problem

Part Part II: The Elements of Story
2. The Structure Spectrum
3. Structure and Setting
4. Structure and Genre
5. Structure and Character
6. Structure and Meaning

Part Part III: The Principles of Story Design
7. The Substance of Story
8. The Inciting Incident
9. Act Design
10. Scene Design
11. Scene Analysis
12. Composition
13. Crisis, Climax, Resolution

Part Part IV: The Writer at Work
14. The Principle of Antagonism
15. Exposition
16. Problems and Solutions
17. Character
18. The Text
19. A Writers Method
20. Fade Out
Suggested Readings
Filmography

4. THE SCREENWRITERS BIBLE

– David Trottier

Book I – How to Write a Screenplay, A Primer
1. How stories work
2. Situation, conflict, and resolution
3. The flow of the story
4. The low down on high concept
5. Story layering, plot, and genre
6. Ten keys to creating captivating characters
7. Dialogue, subtext, and exposition
8. How to make a scene
9. Suspense and comedy
10. Television

Book II – 7 Steps to a Stunning Script, A Workbook
Step 1, Summon your Muse
Step 2, Dream up your movie idea
Step 3, Develop your core story
Step 4, Create your movie people
Step 5, Step out your story
Step 6, Write your first draft
Step 7, Make the necessary revisions
The Character/Action Grid

Book III – Correct Format for Screenplays & TV Scripts, A Style Guide
1. How to use this guide and its unique cross-referencing tools
2. Sample scenes
3. The cover, title page, first page, and last page
4. Headings (slug lines)
5. Description
6. Dialogue
7. How to format TV scripts
8. Glossary
9. Complete formatting index

Book IV – Writing Your Breakthrough Spec Script, A Script Consultant’s View
1. The spec script, your key to breaking in
2. Exercises in revising scenes
3. The first ten pages (a sample plus an analysis)

Book V – How to Sell Your Script, A Marketing Plan
1. How to protect your work
2. What you must do before entering the market
3. Your strategic marketing plan (with worksheets)
4. How to find an agent
5. The query letter (with sample letters)
6. How to pitch without striking out
7. How to sell your script without an agent
8. Television
9. Hollywood’s back door
10. How to break into Hollywood when you live in Peoria
11. A personal challenge

Book VI – Resources and Index
1. Industry organizations and guilds
2. Script consultants, seminars, and schools
3. Internet sites
4. Directories, periodicals, and writers organizations
5. Bookstores
6. Software
7. Books for screenwriters and TV writers
8. Contests
9. General index

5. SAVE THE CAT

– Blake Snyder

1. What is it?
2. Give me the same thing … only different!
3. It’s about a guy who …
4. Let’s beat it out! 67
5. Building the perfect beast
6. The immutable laws of screenplay physics
7. What’s wrong with this picture?
8. Final fade in

6. THE ELEMENTS OF STYLE

– William Strunk & E.B. White

INTRODUCTION.
I. ELEMENTARY RULES OF USAGE.
1. Form the Possessive Singular of Nouns by Adding ’s.
2. In a Series of Three or More Terms with a Single Conjunction, Use a Comma after Each Term except the Last.
3. Enclose Parenthetic Expressions between Commas.
4. Place a Comma before a Conjunction Introducing an Independent Clause.
5. Do Not Join Independent Clauses with a Comma.
6. Do Not Break Sentences in Two.
7. Use a Colon after an Independent Clause to Introduce a List of Particulars, an Appositive, an Amplification, or an Illustrative Question.
8. Use a Dash to Set Off an Abrupt Break or Interruption and to Announce a Long Appositive or Summary.
9. The Number of the Subject Determines the Number of the Verb.
10. Use the Proper Case of Pronoun.
11. A Participial Phrase at the Beginning of the Sentence Must Refer to the Grammatical Subject.

II. ELEMENTARY PRINCIPLES OF COMPOSITION.
12. Choose a Suitable Design and Hold to It.
13. Make the Paragraph the unit of Composition.
14. Use the Active Voice.
15. Put Statements in Positive Form.
16. Use Definite, Specific, Concrete Language.
17. Omit Needless Words.
18. Avoid a Succession of Loose Sentences.
19. Express Coordinate Ideas in Similar Form.
20. Keep Related Words Together.
21. In Summaries, Keep to One Tense.
22. Place the Emphatic Words of a Sentence at the End.

III. A FEW MATTERS OF FORM.

IV. WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS COMMONLY MISUSED.

V. AN APPROACH TO STYLE (WITH ALIST OF REMINDERS).
1. Place Yourself in the Background.
2. Write in a Way That Comes Naturally.
3. Work From a Suitable Style.
4. Write with Nouns and Verbs.
5. Revise and Rewrite.
6. Do Not Overwrite.
7. Do Not Overstate.
8. Avoid the Use of Qualifiers.
9. Do Not Affect a Breezy Manner.
10. Use Orthodox Spelling.
11. Do Not Explain Too Much.
12. Do Not Construct Awkward Adverbs.
13. Make Sure the Reader Knows Who is Speaking.
14. Avoid Fancy Words.
15. Do Not Use Dialect Unless Your Ear Is Good.
16. Be Clear.
17. Do Not Inject Opinion.
18. Use Figures of Speech Sparingly.
19. Do Not Take Shortcuts at the Cost of Clarity.
20. Avoid Foreign Languages.
21. Prefer the Standard to the Offbeat.
Afterword.
Glossary.

7. THE WRITER’S JOURNEY

List of Figures
List of Plates
Preface to the 1949 Edition
Introduction to the 2004 Commemorative Edition
Acknowledgments
Prologue: The Monomyth

Pt. 1 The Adventure of the Hero

1. Departure
2. Initiation
3. Return
4. The Keys

Pt. 2 The Cosmogonic Cycle

5. Emanations
6. The Virgin Birth
7. Transformations of the Hero
8. Dissolutions
Epilogue: Myth and Society
Bibliography
Index

8. 500 WAYS TO BEAT THE READER

– Jennifer Lerch

Contents
Introduction

Part 1: Writing to Sell
1. Scripting It Like the Pros Do
2. A Reader May Judge Your Script by Its Cover
3. 23 Ways to Make a Good First Impression on a Reader
4. Eliminating Page 1, 2, 3 Tip-offs That You’re Not Yet a Pro
5. Putting It on the Page
6. Pulling the Reader out of Her Office and into Your Story with Setting
7. Burning Your Characters into the Reader’s Imagination
8. Screen Talk That Looks as Good as It Sounds
9. Style That Turns On a Hollywood Reader
10. Creating a Concept and Characters That Will Sell Your Script
11. 20 Tips on Creating a Concept That Sells Itself
12. Characters the Hollywood Reader Recommends to Top Stars
13. Create a Protagonist and Antagonist Who Will Start a Casting War

Part 2: Acts 1-3: Writing for the All-Important Audience of One
14. Act 1 Goals
15. Goals to Achieve in This First Act
16. Setting Up Your Story for Success in Act
17. Grab the Hollywood Reader with Your Opening Sequence and Don’t Let Her Look Back
18. Fulfilling the Reader’s Expectations as You Open Your Genre
19. Conflict: A Reader Can’t Recommend a Screenplay That Doesn’t Have It
20. Prevent Reader Whiplash: Handle the Backstory with Care
21. Your Act 1 Checklist
22. Act 2 Goals
23. Goals to Achieve in This Second Act
24. Structure Tips to Help You Scale the Mt. Everest of Your Script
25. Tips to Keep Subplots Working Hard for Your Story
26. How to Avoid the Second Act Story Stall
27. You Don’t Have to Fall into These Act 2 Genre Traps
28. Stay One Step Ahead of the Reader with Your Act 2 Story
29. Avoid Common Flaws That Show Up in Act 2
30. Your Act 2 Checklist
31. Act 3 Goals
32. Goals to Achieve in This Third Act
33. Wowing the Readeras You Pay Off Your Story
34. It’s Do or Die for Your Characters
35. The Kind of End That Can Get You a Reader Recommend
36. Your Act 3 Checklist
37. Correct Common Flaws Related to Genre

Part 3: Epilogue
39. Feedback-Driven Revision
40. Still Didn’t Get Positive Coverage?
Conclusion

9. THE WRITER’S PARTNER

-Martin Roth

The table of contents of this book is pretty extensive — as well as detailed, so I’m going to let you check this one out for yourself. Overall, this is a great book for two basic needs: quick reference and inspiration.

While I wouldn’t suggest you use this book as a primary reference source, it does come in handy when in need of a quick firefighter dispatch example, private sports clubs, classic locations for genre stories, and so much more. While google and wikipedia make it a lot easier for some, others might find it convenient to have a trusty compilation of resources right in their hand where ever they go.

Before you start writing your screenplay, give these titles a glance — they all hold their own in the great world of books on writing and delivery points from their specific angle.

Know of any others that screenwriters should check out before reading? What are your favorites?