Screenwriting for Neurotics
“What comes through is not just the author’s deep understanding of screenwriting but also his deep love of classic cinema. A delightful read and an essential guide to writing for the screen.”—Peter Bogdanovich, director, The Last Picture Show, What's Up Doc?, Paper Moon, and Mask
“Scott Sublett guides you through the screenwriting process with wisdom and humor. Whether you're a beginner or a professional, you’ll feel as if you have a private screenwriting professor at your side.”—Pamela Gray, screenwriter, A Walk on the Moon, Music of the Heart, and Conviction
“The techniques he teaches are so effective, and the writing is so readable. This is one of the few screenwriting books you can actually read with pleasure.”—Charles Busch, screenwriter and playwright, Psycho Beach Party and Die, Mommie, Die!
Screenwriting for Neurotics is a quirky and accessible handbook for beginning screenwriters. Whether you are a student in a screenwriting class or just someone who wants to try their hand at writing for film or television, this handy guidebook makes the entire process simple and unintimidating. Scott Winfield Sublett, a veteran screenwriter and screenwriting teacher, walks you step by step from start to finish and helps you navigate potential and unforeseen difficulties along the way, offering handy tips and suggestions to keep you from becoming blocked or stalled.
Rather than throwing you into the writing process headfirst, Sublett guides you through the various decisions you need to make—about plot, character, structure, conflict—in the order you need to make them. He explains in straightforward terms the terminology and jargon, the theory and industry standards, and dispels common myths about screenwriting that can discourage or hold back a beginning writer.
Balancing theory and practice and offering valuable and insightful examples from recognizable and well-known classic and contemporary films, ranging from Casablanca to A Christmas Story to Clerks, Sublett provides the new writer with the necessary tools to successfully write a feature-length screenplay and offers a roadmap of where to go next. With an emphasis on helping a writer not just to begin, but also to finish a script, Screenwriting for Neurotics is the screenwriting book to help you actually write one.