The Screenwriter's Workbook: Exercises and Step-by-step Instructions for Creating a Successful Screenplay by Syd Field (2-May-2007) Paperback

by Syd Field

Unknown Binding

About the author

Sydney Alvin Field was an American screenwriting guru who wrote several books on the subject of screenwriting. He also conducted workshops and seminars on the subject of producing salable screenplays. Hollywood film producers have increasingly used his ideas on structure as a guideline to a proposed screenplay's potential.

Reviews

[Madly Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Basically, I read this entire book today, focusing how to take this paradigm and reshape it for novel use. To my amazement, there was a really special part of this book I did not expect. Chapters 5 through Chapter 8, What Makes a Good Character. The Tools of Character,Conflict and the Circle of Being, and Of Time and Memory (Flashbacks). None of this was in my old, falling apart copy of Syd Field's Screenplay book which I have had for decades. I could not put this revised version down and made lots of notes on how to shift structure and form for use in novel writing. Basically I want some nonlinear moments and this really explained how to do it. Of course, it's screenwriting, but Field used several examples that were novel to screen adaptations and it all make perfect sense to me and I could see how to do it by the time I finished the book. This is a great book for writers, even those writing novels. Structure is so important to shaping a story and then creating characters who are on a story journey, which is the secret of good writing. It's all in this small book that is so easy to read. I am going to adapt this to a 400-480 page, 100K to 120K novel using this 3 act structure. I just came up with my own formula for it. I had used something like it previously but called it Blocking the Plot. This is more flexible, and will provide moving room. I am so pleased with all this. I love process so much. All the stars. A wonderful book and Field writes with clarity. Highly recommended.

[Lou · Rating 3 out of 5]

very repetitive but quite helpful