Suggested Reading List for Screenwriters

Books About Format, Drama, Structure and Storytelling for Film & TV

Mar 26, 2009

Good screenwriting requires a mastery of not just story, but also strict adherence to format and a host of industry conventions that are best learned from the experts.

Hands-on personal mentoring from a seasoned professional, screenwriting classes, and having the opportunity to bounce ideas off of other writers in a workshop setting are the best ways to learn screenwriting (in conjunction with lots of time spent actually writing). However, there are a number of good books on dramatic structure in general, and screenwriting in particular, that collectively offer their readers a solid foundation in the art of visual storytelling and script writing for film and television.

Southern Illinois University Press; 1st edition (July 7, 1983); ISBN: 978-0809311101

Ostensibly written as a “technical manual for reading plays” (stage plays), this slim volume is a no nonsense guide to understanding dramatic structure and building drama into storylines and plots. A thorough understanding of the concepts in this book will aid writers in crafting a story with direction and dramatic punch.

Recent edition published by Wildside Press (November 5, 2007); ISBN: 978-1434495433

An indispensible guide to understanding drama and how it relates to human motives and motivation, this is a valuable book in the development of both scripts, and novels. Egri has a real grasp of premise, character and conflict and is quite good at showing how to use them to great effect in the construction of drama.

Screenplay - Recent Edition published by Delta (November 29, 2005); ISBN: 978-0385339032

Screenwriter’s Workbook - Delta; Rev Updated edition (October 31, 2006); ISBN: 978-0385339049

Considered by many to be the “bible” of three-act structure for screenwriters, Field’s books have been around seemingly forever, and his notions of beginning/middle/end and plot points are used and acknowledged to some degree by studio executives, agents, and the writer of nearly every major motion picture that comes out of Hollywood (and most of the small ones too).

As a perennial favorite on the lecture and workshop circuit, McKee’s is book is now a classic of the form and offers a particular set of methods that are loved by some and hated by others.

This book is dedicated almost entirely to the perfection of character and the development of a unique voice for each character in a script. Whether it’s used as a starting point in the development of a script, or to punch up the characters in a rewrite draft, Seger’s classic text is a highly respected treatise on developing fully dimensional characters.

A classic book on mythology and the “hero”, Campbell’s work is valuable in understanding the archetypes of character in storytelling. This book is not specifically about screenwriting, but it is a valuable arrow in the quiver of every narrative writer.

Volume I The Screenplay (Pt.1) - CMC Publishing; Revised edition (June 1980); ISBN: 978-0929583006

Volume II Taped Formats For Television (Pt.2) - CMC Publishing (November 1988); ISBN: 978-0929583013

These books are the recognized bible of formatting rules and guidelines for film and television scripts. If you are not using Final Draft, Movie Magic or another professional screenwriting software package these rules will help you to format your script like the pros.

A riveting collection of insider accounts from the screenwriter of such classics as The Princess Bride, A Bridge Too Far, All the President’s Men, Marathon Man, and many others.

A Los Angeles store dedicated solely to supplying books, software, DVDs, courses, paper, binding supplies and other items to screenwriters and filmmakers.

While there really is no substitute for reading good scripts, screenwriting classes, and time spent in the chair writing scripts of their own, aspiring screenwriters can and should augment their professional development by reading as may of these books as they possibly can.

The copyright of the article Suggested Reading List for Screenwriters in Writing for Stage/Screen is owned by Glenn Kaufmann. Permission to republish Suggested Reading List for Screenwriters in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.