• You Can’t Learn to Write a Crappy Screenplay
• You Have to Know What You’re Doing
• There’s No Such Thing As a “Bad Idea,” Only a Story Poorly Told
Chapter 2 SCREEN PLAYS ARE NOT WRITTEN — THEY’RE BUILT
• There Are No Rules in Screenwriting — But You Have to Obey Every Single One!
• Screenplays Are Like Good Watches: The “Moving Parts” of a Screenplay
• Checklist: The Moving Parts of a Screen Story
• “Putting It in the Box”: A Screenplay Is Like a Chair — You Gotta Be Able to Sit in It!
• The World of the Journey Is the Plot!
• Why Now?
• Life Is Chaos. Movies Make Sense
• The Promise
• Story Value: What’s It Worth?
• The “Action Structure” of Your Story
• Action Structure: The Godfather
Chapter 3 SO THERE’S THIS PERSON
• You’re Writing for Actors!
• Your Main Character Moves in Two Opposite Directions At Once
• Great Characters = Great Actors: Movies Are About Performance
• No Character Left Behind
Chapter 4 WHY IS THIS STORY SO IMPORTANT FOR YOUR HERO?
• The “Fatal Flaw”
• Your Character Is Looking for Satisfaction — But You’re Gonna Make Him/Her Sweat for It!
• “If It Weren’t for Me, Everything Would Be Fine!”
• “Schmuck!” “Idiot!” — Nicknames for Your Protagonist
• Exercises
Chapter 5 IF YOU DON’T BELIEVE THIS STORY, WHO WILL?
• You Can Make This Stuff Up!
• Exercises
• Zombie Rules: Believing the Unbelievable
Chapter 6 SUSTAINABLE SCREEN WRITING
• The Story Is Always Being Told
• Stress, Story Torque, and Zápletka: Putting the Squeeze On!
• Eight Good Scenes
• Scenes: The Bricks on the Framework
• Cause and Effect: Don’t Waste My Screen Time, Pal!
• When You Pack, Take Only What You’re Going to Wear
• Irony: It’s Not Over ’til It’s Not Over
• What’s the Worst That Can Happen? — That’s What Happens!
• Your Surprise Ending . . . Is Inevitable
• Exercise
Chapter 7 TOOL BAG : SOME OF THE GADGETS YOU’LL NEED
• “Shut Up When You Talk to Me . . . ” Dialogue Is Not Just Talk
• “Many Years Ago . . . ” — Flashbacks
• Backstory — How Does It Get into My (Front) Story?
• “That’s Me Talking, In Case You Didn’t Recognize Me . . .”: Voiceover Dos & Don’ts
• “Just Listen . . . ”: Monologues
• “Whose ‘Now’ Is It Anyway?”: Time and When to Mess with It
• Plants and Payoffs
• The Sidekick, the Mentor, the Student, and All Those Other Types of Characters
• To Montage or Not Montage
• Yes, There Is a “Rule of Threes” — And It’s Not Stupid
Chapter 8 OKAY, NOW GO WRITE YOUR SCRIPT!
• The “Certainty Principle” — You and Your Story
• Step by Step by Step by Step by Step by Step: Your Beat Sheet
• Methods to the Madness
• Page Count and Structure
• Writing = Writing, So Write!
• You’re Married to Your Story Now, So Be Faithful!
• “Industry Experts”: Nine Out of Ten Times — They’re Wrong!
• It’s Your Script and You’ll Write What You Want To
• The Three Ds
• “Copying” Is Plagiarism. “Stealing” Is Art!
• Get It Out There!
Appendix: Recommended Viewing (. . . and spoiler alert)
INTRODUCTION
Let’s Admit It: writing a good screenplay isn’t easy. Any seasoned professional, including me, can tell you that.
You really want it to go well. You really want to do a good job. You