Making a Good Writer Great: A Creativity Workbook for Screenwriters [Paperback]

Linda Seger (Author), Silman-James Press (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 15, 1999

In any creative endeavor, a knowledge of craft by itself, no matter how sound or thorough, is simply not sufficient to allow for the creation and growth of truly original work. While craft may provide structural tools, it does not address the most basic and universal element of all artistic work -- the creative process.

Designed not just to awaken creativity but to teach the writer the process of being a creative thinker within the context of screenwriting, this unique new addition to Linda Seger's highly popular collection of screenwriting books combines current theories of creativity with the practices of screenwriting, focusing on ways in which screenwriters can learn to think and work more creatively.

Through discussion, exercises and analysis of scripts, one is eased into understanding and working with such pivotal creative concepts as nonlinear thinking, visual thinking, metaphorical thinking, oppositional thinking and utilizing one's unconscious mind.

Making a Good Writer Great does just what its title professes -- provides both novice and experienced writers with the means to expand their creative processes and write at a higher artistic level.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Linda's technique is a light to see by." -- Ray Bradbury

About the Author

Linda Seger

Product Details

• Paperback: 220 pages
• Publisher: Silman-James Pr; 1 edition (September 15, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1879505495
• ISBN-13: 978-1879505490
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #247,973 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I have an unusual background - since my degrees are in both drama and theology. I've combined the two through my work in the film industry since 1981, writing books on screenwriting, but have also been giving speeches about theology for the last ten years. My most recent book is called JESUS RODE A DONKEY, and is about Christian values from the perspective of the Democratic Party. That will be published in August, 2006.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific book, it stirs creativity as you read., October 5, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Making a Good Writer Great: A Creativity Workbook for Screenwriters (Paperback)

This is one of the best books on creativity I've ever read. Linda gives you solid exercises to do when you're searching for an idea and helps you when you're stuck in the middle of a screenplay. Her chapter on "Why Your Shadow is Essential to Your Success" is a must for any aspiring screenwriter. I'm recommending this book to all my screenwriting students at UCLA.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars break through writer's block, February 4, 2002

By 

Susan (LOS ANGELES, US, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Making a Good Writer Great: A Creativity Workbook for Screenwriters (Paperback)

Linda Seger offers a number of ways to re-start the creative process; if only one of them works for you, the book is worth it.

Just reading through the exercises in this book was enough to get me through a serious case of writer's block. She includes an entire chapter on tapping into your religious/spiritual side to flesh out characters and deepen plot, but don't worry: If that won't work for you, she suggests skipping ahead -- there are plenty more idea-provoking suggestions to come.

It's a resource to turn to again and again, whenever a dead end looms.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Misnomer, March 3, 2004

By 

Robert Graves (Thompson Station, TN USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Making a Good Writer Great: A Creativity Workbook for Screenwriters (Paperback)

I've always felt this book had an unfortunate title and may have done much better without the "Screenwriter" addendum. The fact is that the advice and exercises that Seger gives is germane to all writers - the novelist, short story writer, as well as the screenwriter.

The "Creativity Workbook" aspect is a true title, however. This is a wonderful book for those of you who feel you're suffering from writer's block. The only solution, of course, is to just write. Even if you're writing "I don't know what to write...this is awful...I have no idea what to write..." still do it. Eventually you'll have a break through. Seger hides this simple fact into her ingenious exercises, giving you situation after to situation to write about, all the while developing characters and plot ideas.

Her focus is to truly help you develop as a writer, not merely beef up your script with cheap, dime-a-dozen plot methods. In that aspect, this book is rather unique and very successful. One of the better writing books available.