Here are a few selected resources which we think you will find helpful.
1) The Writers Store. Searching for a great book or video course on screenwriting? The best writing software? Or even (gasp) brads to send someone a hard copy script? The Writer’s Store has it all.
Here are a few of the books, all of which The Writer’s Store stocks, which CI highly recommends:
- Breakfast With Sharks by Michael Lent. Not a screenwriting how-to book, but a book about how to survive being an up & coming writer. A great read.
- Change Your Story, Change Your Life by Jen Grisanti. Take your power back and find your true voice with helpful, inspirational guidance from this former TV exec turned story consultant.
- Save the Cat! by Blake Snyder. If you buy one book on screenwriting, this should be it. Blake’s other two books are great too, but this one started it all. Contemporary movie formula broken down and made simple. A must-read book in Hollywood.
- The Writer’s Journey by Christopher Vogler. A brilliant book and a great read, Vogler takes Joseph Campbell’s teachings on myth and reinterprets it all as an infallible feature film structural template. Indispensable.
- Crafty TV Writing by Alex Epstein. Our new favorite go-to book on TV writing. His other book Crafty Screenwriting is also great.
- Writing the Pilot by William Rabkin. Short and sweet, a bit outdated in some ways yet still crucial.
- Adventures in the Screen Trade by William Goldman. Goldman is just a brilliant writer, and his accounts of the making of Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid and some of his other classic movies is a don’t-miss.
- The Hollywood Screenwriting Directory. Far better than an expensive imdbpro subscription, this handy book has thousands of producer, agent and manager contacts. and worth every penny.
- Good in a Room by Stephanie Palmer. Presentation is worth even more than what’s on the page. Stephanie tells you how to maximize your own skills, charm, and story.
2) Moviebytes. Searching for contests to enter? Look no further.
3) Drew’s Script-O-Rama. Tons of free scripts to download, including multiple drafts of some scripts. Site is a bit spammy,
4) Talentville. Feeling a bit lost and alone in the wilderness? Join this virtual screenwriting community!
5) Go Into The Story. The official screenwriting blog of the Blacklist. Tons of great content.
6) Blake Snyder’s Save the Cat! Blake may be no longer with us, but BJ, Rich, Jose and their team are out there preaching the gospel. sign up for one of their seminars — you’ll be glad you did.
7) TrackingB. A honest-to-goodness industry tracking board — subscribe and get critical insider intel. A must for students of the biz. They run the best contests around too.
8) Scriptfest. The best pitchfest, period. Every summer, Scriptfest is held in Burbank for three days of seminars, networking, and of course, pitching to industry execs.
9) InkTip. An amazing way to reach speciality, indie and low budget producers in particular who are sometimes not serviced by agents and managers. But guess what? Those people make movies and TV shows.
10) Good In A Room. Stephanie Palmer’s advice is worth its weight in platinum. Sell yourself and your ideas more effectively with Stephanie’s magic touch.
11) American Screenwriting Association. Join us!
12) WGA. Great free writing podcast, plus don’t forget their script registry service. Please note: Registering your script with the WGA is NOT a replacement for copyright. Copyright has far more legal weight!
13) US Copyright Office. This should be your FIRST STOP upon completing any new work.
14) TV Calling. A must for TV writers. Great newsletter and a pretty decent free script library as well.
15) The “Breaking Bad” pilot. You want to learn to write? Start here.
16) Scriptwriters Network. Classes, seminars, networking, all for one reasonable annual fee.
17) UCLA Professional Program in Screenwriting. When you’re ready to stop screwing around.
18) The trades. If you want to get anywhere in the biz, you need to understand the biz. Read The Wrap, The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline Hollywood and Variety.
19) SUBTEXT. It’s what separates the wheat from the chaff. Subtext is the key to brilliant dialogue. Here’s a terrific article on the subject.
20) Scripts + Scribes. What a great resource. Tons of podcasts with leading agents, managers, creators as well as contact lists, videos and much more.
