| Foreword |
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| Introduction: Fade In |
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xi | |
| Part I Passion The Urge to Screenwrite |
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Portrait of a Screenwriter |
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3 | (6) |
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Being Creative and Original |
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3 | (1) |
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Being a Natural Storyteller |
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4 | (1) |
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Being Comfortable with Solitude |
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5 | (1) |
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6 | (1) |
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7 | (2) |
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9 | (4) |
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Having a Driving Reason to Write |
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9 | (4) |
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13 | (2) |
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Believing You're Talented Enough |
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13 | (2) |
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15 | (6) |
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15 | (1) |
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Being Passionate about the Craft |
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16 | (2) |
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Being Passionate about Movies |
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18 | (3) |
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21 | (18) |
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Understanding the Downside of Being a Screenwriter in Hollywood |
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21 | (3) |
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Being Committed to a Career, Not Just One Screenplay |
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24 | (2) |
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Having Precise Goals, Not Just Wishes |
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26 | (1) |
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Not Letting Self-Doubts Get in the Way |
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26 | (2) |
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28 | (5) |
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Being Willing to Work Hard and Make Sacrifices |
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33 | (1) |
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Setting a High Standard of Excellence |
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34 | (5) |
| Part II Creativity Summoning the Muse |
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39 | (18) |
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Getting Input As Often As Possible |
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40 | (1) |
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Not Worrying about Finding Ideas |
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41 | (2) |
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Asking the Right Questions |
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43 | (2) |
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45 | (1) |
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46 | (1) |
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Becoming Possessed by the Story |
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47 | (1) |
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Being Aware of Your Muse's Favorite Activities |
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48 | (1) |
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Recording Your Ideas As Soon As They Appear |
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49 | (2) |
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51 | (4) |
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Discovering a Few Scenes at a Time |
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55 | (2) |
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Creating a Writing Environment |
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57 | (8) |
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Having a Favorite Writing Space |
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57 | (2) |
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Being Comfortable with Your Writing Tools |
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59 | (1) |
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Having a Favorite Time to Write |
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60 | (5) |
| Part III Discipline Applying the Seat of Your Pants to the Seat of the Chair |
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65 | (20) |
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65 | (2) |
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67 | (3) |
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70 | (1) |
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71 | (1) |
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72 | (1) |
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73 | (1) |
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Being Nutritionally Aware |
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74 | (2) |
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Writing Through Your Fears |
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76 | (2) |
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Silencing Your Inner Critic |
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78 | (2) |
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Focusing Completely on the Task at Hand |
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80 | (1) |
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Working on Several Projects at a Time |
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81 | (2) |
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83 | (2) |
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85 | (14) |
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85 | (1) |
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86 | (4) |
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90 | (1) |
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Working Even When You're Not ``Writing'' |
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91 | (1) |
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Balancing Writing and Personal Life |
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92 | (2) |
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94 | (2) |
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Making Deadlines Your Motivator |
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96 | (3) |
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99 | (8) |
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99 | (3) |
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Not Believing in Writer's Block |
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102 | (2) |
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Not Being Afraid to Write Terrible First Drafts |
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104 | (3) |
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107 | (12) |
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Finishing Your Draft Before Rewriting |
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107 | (1) |
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Rewriting As You Go Along |
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108 | (2) |
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Being Determined to Make the Script As Good As It Can Be |
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110 | (2) |
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112 | (2) |
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Being Open to Outside Criticism |
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114 | (5) |
| Part IV Storycraft Weaving a Great Tale |
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What Makes a Great Script |
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119 | (14) |
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Discriminating Between Good and Bad Writing |
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119 | (3) |
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Understanding It Takes Talent and Hard Work |
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122 | (4) |
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126 | (2) |
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128 | (2) |
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Knowing What Makes a Great Story |
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130 | (3) |
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133 | (6) |
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Developing an Innate Sense of Drama and Conflict |
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133 | (1) |
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134 | (1) |
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Realizing the Importance of Characters |
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135 | (2) |
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Reading Your Dialogue Out Loud |
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137 | (2) |
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The Most Important Audience |
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139 | (10) |
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Realizing the Reader Is Your First Audience |
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139 | (2) |
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Avoiding Sin Number One: Being Dull |
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141 | (2) |
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Evoking an Emotional Response |
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143 | (6) |
| Part V Marketing It's Not Who You Know, It's Your Writing |
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149 | (6) |
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Understanding the Rules of the Game |
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149 | (4) |
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153 | (2) |
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155 | (12) |
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155 | (1) |
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Knowing the Importance of Relationships |
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156 | (3) |
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Understanding Our Writing Gets Us Work, Not Our Charm |
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159 | (2) |
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Not Isolating Yourself, Except to Write |
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161 | (2) |
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Gaining Value from Every Opportunity |
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163 | (1) |
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164 | (3) |
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167 | (6) |
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Getting the Right Agent the Old-Fashioned Way |
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167 | (3) |
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Never Writing a Query Letter Again |
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170 | (3) |
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173 | (10) |
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173 | (1) |
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Rehearsing Your Pitch until It's Flawless |
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174 | (1) |
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Knowing the Story Inside and Out Without Rehearsing |
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175 | (1) |
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Keeping the Pitch Short, Simple, and Exciting |
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176 | (2) |
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Overcoming Nervousness and Not Showing Desperation |
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178 | (2) |
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Adapting to Any Situation |
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180 | (3) |
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Acting Like a Professional |
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183 | (12) |
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Not Being Paranoid about Your Ideas Being Stolen |
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183 | (1) |
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Not Pitching in Social Situations |
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184 | (1) |
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185 | (2) |
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Not Being ``Difficult'' to Work With |
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187 | (2) |
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Not Burning Bridges When Fired |
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189 | (6) |
| Part VI The Four Ps Keeping the Dream Alive |
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195 | (4) |
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Adapting to the Hollywood System |
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195 | (4) |
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199 | (12) |
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199 | (4) |
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Not Being Afraid to Fail: Finishing What You Start |
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203 | (1) |
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204 | (3) |
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Changing What Doesn't Work |
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207 | (1) |
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Re-evaluating Your Goals Regularly |
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208 | (3) |
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211 | (8) |
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211 | (2) |
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Being Honest with Yourself |
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213 | (2) |
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Remaining Passionate Despite the Disappointments |
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215 | (2) |
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Not Taking It Too Seriously |
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217 | (2) |
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219 | (2) |
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Writing No Matter What...Practice, Practice, Practice |
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219 | (2) |
| Epilogue: Fade Out |
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221 | (6) |
| Index |
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227 | |
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