The Screenwriter's Workbook

This timeless masterclass on visual storytelling guides you through the common processes used to craft emotionally satisfying scripts for television, streaming, and beyond—from “the most sought-after screenwriter teacher in the world” (Hollywood Reporter). No one knows more about screenwriting than Syd Field—and now the ultimate Hollywood insider shares his secrets and expertise in The Screenwriter’s Workbook. Filled with new material—including fresh insights and anecdotes from the author and analyses of films from Pulp Fiction to Brokeback Mountain—The Screenwriter’s Workbook is your very own hands-on workshop that allows you to participate in the processes that have made Syd Field’s workshops invaluable to beginners and working professionals alike. Engage in this workbook’s easy-to-follow exercises and step-by-step instructions to practice: • Defining the central idea on which to build your script • Crafting your unique narrative structure —based on Field's elegant, now industry standard, Paradigm—which in one form or another can be found within all viable screen stories • Imbuing your characters with humanity, vitality, and depth • Writing dialogue that not only moves your story along, but provides skillful insight into every character’s psychology • Reviewing all of the choices you’ve made to discern what works and what doesn't in order to re-write until your script’s story virtually leaps off the page (from the crucial first ten to the final FADE OUT) for professional readers empowered to buy your work. Field’s expert analysis of notable screenplays makes the inevitable challenges to great writing clearer, and far more likely for you to overcome.