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Screenwriting 101

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Screenwriting takes a lot of work and isn't for the faint of heart. To quote Fran Lebowitz, "Screenwriting is not an artform, it is a punishment from God." Said, no doubt, during a Second Act rewrite of her fifth draft. This lens provides resources and information to help the beginning screenwriter make sense of the format and orient them on their writing adventure. Best of luck and happy writing.

Tools of the Trade

You wanna write movies then you need the proper tools. Sure you can use pen and paper, could even put it together on an old typewriter and there's some hacks out there that'll let you convert Word into a screenwriting platform but eventually you'll need bust out the wallet and put down for a proper piece of screenwriting software. Below are two of the biggest, plus one freebie if you just want to dip your toe in the water.

This all assumes, of course you, that you already have a computer. That or you've got some neat trick that Bill Gates will soon steal from you.

Final Draft: Just add words
Movie Magic Screenwriter: or if you want add them here
Celtx: the freebie
Word screenplay templates: Okay, I'll cave in and throw out a site that'll let you download free Word screenwriting templates but I'd strongly suggest you go the routes above.

Screenwriting Books

A few to get you started

At some point you have to put aside the books and find your own voice. But in the beginning screenwriting books can be invaluable in helping boost you over the inevitable formating and structering hurdles that arise. Below are just a small sampling of such books that I found useful. Picked for variety and usefulness and in no particular order.

One More Book Suggestion

Chris Soth's Million-Dollar Screenwriting Mini-Movie Method eBook:: Chris Soth is a crdited screenwriter who's written a useful eBook providing screenwriters with different take on movie structure. Worth taking a look. His web site is below with the other professional screenwriting blogs.

Randomly Culled Screenwriting Books

Below you'll find other screenwriting books. I have no idea what'll show up as the list is culled from Amazon with the "screenwriting" and "screenplays" tags but it might be something useful. Explore as desired.

Magazines

It's also a good idea to subscribe to one or more screenwriting, moviemaking and/or industry publications. They'll give you a wealth of information, interviews, and insight.

Creative Screenwriting: Names says it all
Script: as does this one
Filmmaker Magazine: and this
MovieMaker: no big secret here
The Hollywood Reporter: One of the big two for all your info on the Hollywood industry. The other being...
Variety: this one.

Read Scripts

I say again, read scripts

You'll hear it over and over so much you'll want to vomit but reading screenplays is a very good idea. It'll help you understand narrative, format and structure. Below are a few sites that offer free screenplays. Head on over and start reading.

Simply Scripts: Go read
Drew's Script-O-Rama: Go on
The Daily Script: last chance
JoBlo's Movie Scripts: one more cause I'm nice.

Great Internet Resources

Professional Screenwriter's Weblogs

Below you'll find a list of professional screenwriters who are currently maintaining homes on the internet. These are some talented and generous folks who have a wealth of info and advice just waiting for you.

The Artful Writer: by Craig Mazin
John August: by Johnny Depp (not really, pretty obvious who's running the show over there no?)
WordPlay: by Terry Rossio and Ted Elliott
Kung Fu Monkey: by John Roger
Complications Ensue: by Alex Epstein
Ink Slinger: by Paul Guyot
Chris Soth: another no-brainer
The Thinking Writer: by Jon Deer
The Blank Page: by a whole bunch of smart folks
A Writer's Life: by Lee Goldberg
ScreenwriterBones: by Philip Morton
I Find Your Lack of Faith Disturbing: by Josh Friedman

Other Helpful Sites

You're gonna wanna check these out if only to expand your knowledge of the industry.

Box Office Guru: Learn what's hot and what people are going to see.
Done Deal: Again, learn what is selling. Done Deal will show you what scripts people are buying.
Writer's Guild of America, west: Also an east. Ton of useful info and the place you'd like to reside one day. First write the screenplay though.
Movie Bytes: So you got yourself a screenplay. Think it's pretty damn good do you? If you happen to be the competitive type head on over to Movie Bytes. They'll give you all the screenplay competitons around, plus some user generated reviews. And if you win the Nicholl's you're buying me lunch.