All good screenplays are unique, but all bad screenplays are the same. Flinn's book will teach the reader how to avoid the pitfalls of bad screenwriting and arrive at one's own destination intact.
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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
How Not to Write a Screenplay is an invaluable addition to any aspiring screenwriter's shelf--and you'd best make the shelf within arm's reach of the computer. Author Dean Martin Flinn, an experienced script reader, details the common rookie mistakes that drive script readers crazy. Flinn makes no pretense of being able to teach anyone how to write the next Great American Film--or for that matter the next Stupid Summer Blockbuster. Instead he offers information that will help keep the novice screenwriter's opus from being immediately tossed on the trash pile (arguably a more valuable service). As Flinn says in his introduction, if you follow the advice in this book, "you may not write a particularly good screenplay, but you won't write a bad one." Flinn offers practical advice on formatting, such as the proper form for a slugline and where to set your margins, and more general rules of thumb on giving the actors room to interpret their roles and avoiding dictating camera angles to the director (who will ignore them anyway). The second half of the book deals with content, also in a remarkably pragmatic way--structure, pacing, plot resolution, and dialogue that really stink are all handily dealt with. Flinn illustrates almost all his points with excerpts from screenplays both good and bad (names have been changed to protect the guilty), giving the reader concrete examples of the difference between poorly and well-structured scenes. Not sucking is an unusual goal for a screenwriting manual, but any script reader will agree it is a noble one. --Ali Davis
About the Author
Denny Martin Flinn is a produced screenwriter and the author of the successful book "How NOT to Write a Screenplay" (1580650155, GBP14.99).
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
94 of 99 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Anyone who reads screenplays for a living knows that ninety-nine out of every 100 are absolutely horrible. And not just because the stories are weak, the characters are bland and the dialogue is inane. No, most scripts are painful to read because they're painful to read. Description is confusing, overwritten, or just plain obtuse. UPPERCASE words POP up OFTEN enough to cause MOTION SICKNESS, or the script is rydled with mispellings and grammaticle errs. Author, screenwriter and story analyst Denny Martin Flinn has written a masterful, must-read book for anyone hoping to get a spec screenplay past production company readers and into the Hollywood pipeline. Since no one can teach talent or originality, he instead tells readers the traps to avoid when assembling their cinematic opuses, ranging from formatting eroors to descriptive gaffs to thematic omissions. Illustrating his points with both horrid and well-written screen passages--all genuine-- Flinn has created a book that is smart, insightful and often painfully funny. Allen B. Ury, Fade In Magazine
61 of 65 people found the following review helpful
By Thor Vader
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
... and I've read almost all of them. Flinn starts his book with the admission that he has never written any great movies... and then states blatently that he didn't write this book because he can write screenplays, but rather because he has had to read a ton of them.
Well thank god he did, because he distills horribly written screenplays into crystal clear examples of why they are poorly written. This information is wonderful, and I found myself delighting in his revealing why I too am unsatisfied with the screenplays I have written.
The book is broken into two primary sections with a third "final thought section." The first is devoted to form, and he cuts to the chase providing examples of "good writing" and, even more importantly, examples of "bad writing". He examples are very accessible, and will illustrate to any writer, producer, or director why it is that they want to cut their wrists when reading some screenplays, and can't put others down.
The second half of the book is devoted to content. This is not as strong as the first half, but is certainly on par or slightly better than most books on how to write your story. He even quotes from all of the guru's of screenwriting, and shows that they are all ultimately trying to say the same thing.
I am absolutely serious when I say it is the best book on screenwriting I have ever read. I think it should be manditory reading for anyone that ever thinks of giving their screenplay to another individual to read. Happy writing!!!
131 of 149 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Compared to other screenwriting books I have read, this is decent, but falls short in two important respects.
First, the cynical attitude is no doubt honestly acquired, but the book makes for a very bad read for someone who is still struggling with their screenplay. The best how-to books both explain and inspire, this does not.
Second, the liberal use of actual (or slightly altered) bad screenplays (sometimes multiple pages of unbroken screenplay examples) make for (often) difficult (if not confusing) reading of the (sometimes) useful prose. The book feels like 1/3 advice, 2/3 filler. Some of the examples are needed to display the problem being discussed, most are either a trivia contest (how quickly can you spot which movie the example is from?) or dreck which adds nothing to the explanation given.
I recommend that you read the book, or something like it, before you send your screenplay out into the world. There is good advice here for rewriting, format and polishing. However, I recommend that you read THIS book only after you've written your screenplay, unless you're looking for an excuse to quit.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good Reference for beginners
Its mostly the same old do things this way and not that way kind of book. I guess there's a lot of mistakes that new or first time screenwriters might make and this book points... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Kristin
5.0 out of 5 stars
How Not is a How to.
Don't let the title fool you, this is a great book for how to write a screenplay. Loved the book and I certainly recommend it.
Published 2 months ago by Christiane Shumake
4.0 out of 5 stars
Extremely helpful on formatting
This is a good book. Very enjoyable. Very easy read. I originally bought it for class, but found myself reading above and beyond the homework requirements. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Luke
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great Service
The service was great and on time. I didn't read this book yet. It was on the recomended list for a screen writing class.
Published 5 months ago by Lilly Lavender
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Must-Have For Professional and Aspiring Screenwriters Alike!!
I got this book at a used price of seventy-five cents from a Goodwill store. Upon reading it, the book reveals many mistakes screenwriters make and also provides industry insider... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Vantheman77
3.0 out of 5 stars
:-)
Not what I expecetd nothing was in order but the book was some what helpful. I would not recommend it but I think its still worth a buy.
Published 20 months ago by zee
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fabulous book
This book came highly recommended and for good reason. Denny Flinn saves his reader from looking like an idiot, and I thank him for it. He's a voice of competence and experience. Read more
Published on July 29, 2010 by Nancy Mccurry
4.0 out of 5 stars
More advice, good advice
I read this years ago. As I recall there were some good ideas on what not to do. As with all books there are also opinions about how to write, what to write, and helpful tips,... Read more
Published on May 12, 2010 by Just A Thought
3.0 out of 5 stars
Chances are you won't make many of these 101 mistakes
After writing my first screenplay I bought several books to help me tighten things up and make sure I had a good structure. Read more
Published on February 16, 2010 by Kevin Beard
5.0 out of 5 stars
Simple. Clear. Informative.
Till now I bought lots of screenwriting books. I can say "fully successful" only for this title. It's consist of two main units. Format and contend. Read more
Published on January 14, 2010 by A. Ozer Feyzioglu
