by Rob Negrete

Created on: February 20, 2009

There are so many books out there and everyone has their own opinion on which book is the best one to read off the starting line. There is no single book that will tell you everything you need to know. There are different books that emphasize different elements of screenwriting.

You must first decide what exactly it is you need to learn. Start by asking yourself a few questions. Do I have a firm grasp on story? Do I know how to build characters? Do I know how to write in screenplay format? Do I even know what these questions mean? Chances are, a beginning writer searching for their first screenwriting book does not.

A beginning screenwriter should already have a firm grasp on how to tell a story from beginning to end. The next step is to learn what a screenplay must contain to keep an audience interested. As any screenwriter would know, screenwriting is about showing the story instead of telling the story. When we watch a movie that tells us the story and gives it all upfront with too much exposition and weak dialogue, we get bored quickly. There is nothing interesting about watching a movie tell the audience what it is about through weak character development. There are a great many tools to remedy this problem before it becomes habit, or even worse, a writing style.

Most beginning screenwriter struggle with this concept. In order to learn how to properly turn a story that is told into a story that is shown, one must learn how to change their writing style for each element. The book that will teach the writer is The Tools of Screenwriting by David Howard and Edward Mabley.

Inside the pages of this book are the tools a beginning writer needs to start turning a good story into a great one. This book teaches the writer how to get the audience involved with the characters, and their struggles. If the story is not crafted just right, the audience will be uninterested and bored. The Tools of Screenwriting helps the writer get each member of the audience to mentally participate in the story. An engaging story with characters that the audience cares about will be remembered. The audience will appreciate the journey.

A beginning writer can learn much valuable information from this book. When the information in this book is understood and practiced by a beginning writer, they will no longer be writing at a beginner's level. A writer with a good understanding of the elements will be ready to actually write a great screenplay. That writer should then make their next book selection a book that teaches screenwriting format.

Learn more about this author, Rob Negrete.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.