First Among Equals

[Winter in New York]

Who is the first 'How To' screenwriting guy / gal you ever read?

For me it was Syd Field. Way back when, his 'Screenplay' book (along with Goldman's 'Adventures in the Screen Trade') were the first books on the subject I ever read.

Winter in New York

[Salazkin]

Same here. Syd Field and Trottier's Screenwriter's Bible.

[jimjimgrande]

Linda Seger - Making a good script great - was my first voluntary read, though I was required to read Richie Walter's book - whatever it's called because I took his undergrad screenwriting class at UCLA.

Probably the most useful book I've ever read was Soderbergh's book about the making of sex lies and videotape, which included the script as well as these journal excerpt type entries that he kept while he was working on it.

[TonyRob]

"The Tools Of Screenwriting" by David Howard and Edward Mabley.

[pconsidine]

Syd Field and Linda Seger, simultaneously.

But the most useful one was 101 Habits of Highly Successful Screenwriters by Karl Iglesias.

[Bess McNeil]

Syd Field and Viki King