Do You Recommend?

[Blindfolded1]

Any of these books... did these books help?

paul argentini's 'elements of style for screenwriters'

Trottier's "Screenwriter's Bible

500 Ways to Beat the Hollywood Script Reader: Writing the Screenplay the Reader Will Recommend by Jennifer Lerch

The Screenwriter's Problem Solver: How to Recognize, Identify, and Define Screenwriting Problems by Syd Field

[captain bligh]

no.
no.
yes.
no.

and the "yes" is conditional. if you know format, you don't need it.

i didn't respond to the syd field book because i simply hate him hate him hate him and since i am biased i don't think it's fair. some people get a lot out of his useless pap smeared across the page. (sorry.)

cap.

p.s. so i don't sound like a total jerk, i would like to suggest the best books to get if you are going to get books are those written by actual working screenwriters, or of their interviews (i.e., oscar winning screenwriters on writing or the first time i got paid for it, something like that.

[UserName]

I agree with bligh.

'500 Ways' is great. Syd sucks. Some like Trottier, some don't.

[JakeSchuster aka Ostroff]

Try also any of William Froug's books of interviews (including his two volumes of Zen and the Art of Screenwriting).

[Vynson]

McKee.

[qparrish]

The 500 Ways To Beat... book was so good that when I lost it (it's probably somewhere in the house...?) I went right ahead and bought another one! I needed it! If a book is good I read it over and over.