Research Guides: Cinema &amp; Media Studies: Screenwriting

Books

In addition to these books about screenwriting, the Fulton Library has a large collection of books about creative writing that can also be useful.

Creative Screenwriter (Ebook) by Craig Batty; Zara Waldeback
Publication Date: 2012
The Creative Screenwriter is a workbook of inspiring writing exercises to sharpen the writer's talents. Each exercise is designed around a specific theme—finding ideas, developing stories, creating characters, shaping relationships, defining structure, exploring genre, effective scene writing, visual storytelling, improving dialogue, managing re-writes, developing a voice, perfect pitching, outlines, and treatments.
So You Want to Write a Screenplay (Ebook) by Taylor Gaines; Atlantic Publishing Group
Publication Date: 2017
This guide will give you the lowdown on the entire screenwriting process. Knowing the ins and outs of the business will give you a leg up on your competition. In this book, every aspect of the script-writing process is covered, from your initial idea to pitching your screenplay to agents and executives.

Web Resources

There are a lot of websites out there that offer help to new screenwriters. Unfortunately, a lot of them will try to sell you their courses or services that are guaranteed to help you sell your script to Hollywood. This list of resources avoids sites that ask for money as much as possible. Instead, we looked for sites that help screenwriters connect with writer communities, offer solid writing advice, and contain advice about writing for the screen.

A Glossary of Screenwriting Terms & Filmmaking Definitions
Dan Bronzite's list of screenwriting terms is a great resource for quickly learning the lingo of writing for the screen.
TFC Screenwriting Resources
Triangle Film Making's Screenwriting Resources page offers an extensive list of writer resources including script archives, writer communities, and even screenwriting contests.
Script Anatomy
This site maintains extensive lists of useful resources for screenwriters such as writer blogs, sources for scripts, proofreading tools, and even places where you can have your script read for feedback.
Writers Guild Foundation Resource Center
Created by the Writers Guild Foundation, this site contains links to formatting primers, guides to historical research, and a list of Black-led creative organizations.

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