The Screenwriting Life [Paperback]

Rich Whiteside (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 1998

Whether writing for dramas, sitcoms, major studios, or the lowest of low budget productions--The Screenwriting Life covers it all. This no-nonsense, inside look at the industry includes: a foreword by Lew Hunter, Hollywood's premiere screenwriting instructor

- advice from leading agents

- in-depth interviews with today's hottest new writers like David Koepp (Jurassic Park, Mission: Impossible) and such veteran writers as Joe Gynn (Kolchak, The Night Stalker).

Product Details

• Paperback: 279 pages
• Publisher: Berkley Trade (March 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425164969
• ISBN-13: 978-0425164969
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #862,998 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great screenwriting career primer!, April 10, 1999

By 

MCG (Ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Screenwriting Life (Paperback)

This book doesn't get bogged down in the authors own ideas about careers. Instead, he offers insightful interviews with many people in the different screenwriting fields. Sitcoms, longform, and feature writing interviews convey the life and experiences of their respective areas and helps the reader decide if that is truly an area they want to enter. All the interviews suggests what avenues may give new writers the best start into that area.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Refreshingly Honest, May 18, 2005

By 

Christiana Miller (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Screenwriting Life (Paperback)

I met Rich Whiteside (and Paul Castro and Lew Hunder) when I was in the Screenwriting program at UCLA. Since I knew Rich, I bought the book as soon as it hit the shelves. Then life got hectic, I put it on my bookshelf and forgot about it. I recently took it down and started reading it and it's completely blown me away! It's the most honest book about the industry I have ever read. I wish I had read this book when I first bought it, as it would have made my life as a screenwriter a heck of a lot easier! It's brilliant and I highly recommend you not only buy a copy, but READ it from cover to cover. And keep it around to re-read later. Rich, this is brilliant work, my friend. Kudos to you!

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must-read for aspiring screenwriters, July 19, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Screenwriting Life (Paperback)

"The Screenwriting Life" is an excellent, well-organized primer that dispels many romantic notions of what it takes to achieve success as a screenwriter in Hollywood today. Rich's insightful interviews with some of the leading creative forces in the entertainment industry reinforce the point that good writing alone is not enough. "The Screenwriting Life" is an indispensable guide to the political realities of Hollywood.