Screenwriting is Storytelling

Table Of Contents

Screenwriting is StorytellingForeword by Arthur Hiller

Introduction: “Screenwriters must become storytellers.”

Part One
Screenthinking: “What is my story about?”
Chapter 1: Screenwriting is Storytelling
Chapter 2: Movies are Entertainment
Chapter 3: The Big Idea
Chapter 4: The Four “Story” Questions
Chapter 5: Form: 3-Act Paradigms
Chapter 6: Spine: The Process
Chapter 7: Integrating Form and Spine
Chapter 8: Critical Thinking and Creative Tools

Part Two
Screenplanning: “How does my story make the audience feel?”
Chapter 9: Genre
Chapter 10: Plot vs. Story
Chapter 11: Creating the Main Character
Chapter 12: Creating the Antagonist
Chapter 13: Supporting Characters Who Tell the Story
Chapter 14: Creating Dramatic Conflict
Chapter 15: Moral Dilemma and the Moral of the Story
Chapter 16: Following the Emotional Story

Part Three
Screenwriting: “This is what my story is about.”
Chapter 17: The One-Page Summary
Chapter 18: The Step Outline
Chapter 19: Creating the Scene
Chapter 20: Originality
Chapter 21: Where Good Scripts Go Wrong

Part Four
Rewriting and Script Doctoring: “What is my story really about?”
Chapter 22: Writing Is Rewriting

Part Five
Breaking In and Staying There
Chapter 23: Breaking In
Chapter 24: Second Careers and Reinventing Yourself

Postscript: “Becoming a Storyteller”

Appendices
A. Entertainment Industry Organizations
B. Screenwriting Competitions
C. Popular Internet Websites for Screenwriters
D. “Standout U.S. Format” and Elements of Screenwriting

Bibliography

Index

About the Author