The Screenwriter's Bible: A Complete Guide to Writing, Formatting, and Selling Your Script

Amazon.com
How does a spec script differ from a shooting script? What kind of fasteners should one use to bind a script? How did the term MOS come to mean without sound? You'll find the answers to these pressing questions and much more in David Trottier's eminently usable Screenwriter's Bible. The avuncular Trottier--a writer-producer, script consultant, and seminar leader--has written a friendly guide through the Hollywood morass. He touts it as six books in one: it's "a screenwriting primer, a screenwriting workbook, a formatting guide, a spec writing guide, a sales and marketing guide, [and] a resource guide."

Much of Trottier's advice is common sense: "Don't write anything that cannot appear on the screen"; to keep casting options open, don't make your physical descriptions too specific; "don't say Ron Howard is looking at the project if he is not." But there are things to know about Hollywood that are, well, quirkier. Don't write the title of your script on the front cover or side binding; present action sequences using the "stacking action" style; in query letters and scripts alike, avoid "big blocks of black ink." Trottier's guidance--from character development and revision to queries and pitches--is invaluable. Getting in the door can seem impossible, but it's not, necessarily. "If you write a script that features a character who has a clear and specific goal," says Trottier, "where there is strong opposition to that goal leading to a crisis and an emotionally satisfying ending, your script will automatically find itself in the upper five percent."

FROM THE PUBLISHER

The Screenwriter's Bible is six books in one.

Book 1 -- A screenwriting primer that provides a concise presentation of screenwriting basics.

Book 2 -- A workbook that walks the writer through the writing process, from nascent ideas through revisions.

Book 3 -- A formatting guide that presents correct formats for both screenplays and TV scripts.

Book 4 -- A spec writing guide that demonstrates today's spec style through sample scenes and analysis.

Book 5 -- A sales and marketing guide that presents proven strategies to help you create a laser-sharp marketing plan.

Book 6 -- A resource guide that provides addresses and contacts for industry organizations, schools, publications, support groups, services, contests, etc. Among its wealth of practical information are sample query letters, useful worksheets and checklists, hundreds of examples, sample scenes, and straightforward explanations of screenwriting fundamentals. The "Bible" was a featured selection of The Writer's Digest Book Club.

FROM THE CRITICS

Melissa Jones

The formatter alone is worth the price of the book. [Melissa Jones, Hollywood Story Analyst]

William Kelley

Whether you are a rank beginner who needs instruction, or an old pro who needs reminding, you could not do better than David Trottier's book. A brilliant effort by a first-class, dedicated teacher." [William Kelley, Academy Award-winning writer, Witness]

New York Screenwriter

For the writer searching for the one book that has it all, The Screenwriter's Bible is an essential reference. [New York Screenwriter]

Candace Monteiro

Good common sense. Sets up practical guidelines without encroaching on the writer's creativity. Easy to follow--feels like a workbook that will be used and not just read. [Candace Monteiro, Monteiro Rose Agency]

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