Fitzgerald Did It: The Writer's Guide to Mastering the Screenplay (Penguin Original) [Paperback]

Meg Wolitzer (Author)

Book Description

Series: Penguin Original | Publication Date: May 1, 1999

A one-of-a-kind guide to help writers translate their literary talents to the big screen.

This is a book for all writers, be they published or unpublished, novelists or journalists, who want to write for the movies. Meg Wolitzer, who has transformed herself from novelist to novelist/screenwriter, shows writers how they, too, can use their grasp of story, language, and character to write great screenplays. Wolitzer discusses those aspects of screenwriting that can stymie even the most seasoned of writers. Her topics include:

* getting started
* the essential three-act structure
* how writers can use what they already know about writing
* why write a treatment and how to do it
* how to write visually instead of verbally
* creating for the market

Wolitzer also advises on shedding obstructive writing habits and adapting one's own work and the work of others for the big screen. Level-headed, encouraging, and always delightful, Fitzgerald Did It is a must for every writer's bookshelf.
"If you try to write a screenplay, as I do, and you don't know what you're doing, as I don't, you have to read this book, as I have. Repeatedly." --Cathleen Schine, author of The Love Letter and The Evolution of Jane

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Unlike the many screenwriting guidebooks geared toward Hollywood wannabes with little writing experience whatsoever, this one is intended for writers--particularly fiction writers and journalists--eager to make the leap to screenwriting. Blessedly absent are the tedious lessons about how to write; in their stead is an explanation, almost, in unlearning how to write. "Writers' initial screenplays tend to be talky, static, interior and structurally shaky," says author Meg Wolitzer (Surrender, Dorothy). The screenplay form, Wolitzer maintains, "is more often about architecture and imagery and movement than it is about language."

Wolitzer's fine primer on the craft of screenwriting emphasizes visual drama, action, structure, and, most of all, overstatement. "In movies," Wolitzer says, "art exaggerates life. Life becomes bigger, bolder, more brilliantly hued, as well as funnier, more tragic, more action-packed, more filled with coincidence." In Fitzgerald Did It, Wolitzer addresses such issues such as treatments, collaboration, adapting fiction to film, the differences between literary and film agents, and scriptwriting no-noes. Though it's nearly impossible not to think about what Hollywood directors and producers are looking for while you write your script, don't try writing something you don't care about, warns Wolitzer. "It's not that you'll hate yourself in the morning, as you wake up in your new L.A. mansion--but that you probably won't be waking up in a mansion, because your script will lack authenticity and vigor." And, in case you're wondering about the title, a desperately broke Fitzgerald went to Hollywood in 1937 and is said to have written small bits for several films, including the scene in Gone with the Wind "in which Rhett receives the bonnet he then gives to Scarlett." --Jane Steinberg

From Booklist

Novelist Wolitzer (Surrender, Dorothy ) expands her repertoire with this screenwriting "how to." She divulges the subtle and not-so-subtle differences between writing for the big screen, with its demand for action over discourse, and writing other literary forms. Wolitzer assumes that her readers are already "accomplished" writers and does not go into detail regarding character or dialogue development. Instead she concentrates on the special elements that set those topics apart from their prose counterparts. Wolitzer, who has taught writing workshops at several venues, relies heavily on her experiences in turning her own novel into a suitable film adaptation, running through the various stages of the project, including the basics of preparing the treatment (i.e., synopsis of the story) and building believable scenes, sequences, and subplots. In addition, she addresses the pros and cons of collaboration, how to get into good work habits, and what to do with the screenplay when it's finished. Ron Kaplan

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (May 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140275762
• ISBN-13: 978-0140275766
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 4.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,880,078 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I am a fiction writer who, like most writers, is happiest when I'm working. I have somewhat erratic work habits, and can go for weeks without producing much, then suddenly find myself in a whirlwind of productivity that lasts a long time and occupies most of my waking hours. Between those productive bouts I tend to read a lot, mostly contemporary novels, an activity that serves as a kind of re-fueling that I seem to need. I love being excited and keyed up by other people's novels; the best of them remind me of how powerful fiction can be.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book for Accomplished Writers, October 24, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Fitzgerald Did It: The Writer's Guide to Mastering the Screenplay (Penguin Original) (Paperback)

This book is perfect for people who already have a lot of experience writing stories, but who now want to try their hand at the screenplay form. There is none of the boring, basic stuff about how to define a character or what a story arc is; instead Wolitzer focuses on translating the skills you already have to the specifics of the screenplay. Very helpful to aspiring screenwriters!

5.0 out of 5 stars Delightful and quick introduction to screenwriting, September 13, 2007

By 

Frederic Woodbridge "Fred" (ID, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Fitzgerald Did It: The Writer's Guide to Mastering the Screenplay (Penguin Original) (Paperback)

I'm not quite sure about those who've given this little, wonderful book bad reviews. There's nothing bloated about the writing in this book: it's stacked with great information from right at the beginning to end. It definitely hit the mark it was aiming at: writers who already are familiar with story, structure, character, and dialog. Perhaps F. Scott would have done a lot better in Hollywood had he this book as reference. Well done!

5.0 out of 5 stars helpful book, June 8, 2005

By 

Gig from the North "Gig" (Massachusetts) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fitzgerald Did It: The Writer's Guide to Mastering the Screenplay (Penguin Original) (Paperback)

I liked this book and found it useful to me as a writer who wants to break in to writing scripts. Honest and simply written and useful--not full of itself or inflated.