Screenwriting is Storytelling: Creating an A-List Screenplay that Sells! [Paperback]

Kate Wright (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 5, 2004

While most screenwriting books focus on format and structure, Kate Wright explains how to put story at the center of a screenplay. A compelling story, complete with intriguing characters and situations created with these screenwriting tricks of the trade can become a box office blockbuster film.

Screenwriters will learn:

- Developing themes within the plot
- Using structure to define the story
- Creating memorable characters
- Establishing moral dilemmas and conflicts
- Achieving classic elements of storytelling in a three-act dramatic structure
- Mastering different genres

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Wright, an Emmy Award-winning screenwriter (Billy, The Conspirator Saint, The Mary Thomas Story), offers her advice on what makes a good screenplay in this handy introduction to the craft. Wright believes character is key and that too many screenwriters forget the importance of developing complex, interesting characters in the face of trying to fashion a gripping plot. Wright breaks down the plots of three movies--Titanic, Tootsie, and The Fugitive--and shows how they fit into the strict three-act structure of most screenplays. She also elucidates how each of these three stories is centered on several complicated, engaging characters, both protagonists and antagonists. Wright also gives advice on how to shape scripts after the first draft and offers tips for breaking into the movie business, including securing that all-important first job (the mailroom is no myth!) and getting agent representation. Wright's guide is a straightforward, accessible introduction for aspiring screenwriters who need help with anything from getting the structure down to selling the work. Kristine Huntley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author

Kate Wright is an Emmy Award-winning producer and screenwriter with more than 20 years of experience. Ms. Wright is a Senior Instructor at UCLA Extension's internationally known Writers Program where she teaches "Script Doctoring: Rewriting for Production" and "Writing the Screenplay the Professional Way."

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Perigee Trade (October 5, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 039953024X
• ISBN-13: 978-0399530241
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,001,968 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For the beginner and the advanced storyteller., November 2, 2005

By 

Mary "New at this." (NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Screenwriting is Storytelling: Creating an A-List Screenplay that Sells! (Paperback)

The first advice I read is - in order to have a career as a screenwriter you have to learn to be a storyteller. With that in mind I bought books, took out books at the library and read all the positive and negative articles on the internet that made me want to give up before I started.

I took out Ms. Wright's book from the library and after having so many "aha" moments as I read it, I returned the book to the library after ordering a copy for myself on Amazon. I knew I had to own this book.

Ms. Wright breaks down the process of writing into simple terms and chapters. Through the book I saw that successful storytelling involves all the characters perspectives.

I highly recommend this book to the inexperienced storyteller, for it's simplicity and to experienced storytellers as a reminder of what a screenplay needs to be a hit.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Intelligent and helpful approach to screenwriting, December 21, 2005

By 

Bonnie MacBird (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Screenwriting is Storytelling: Creating an A-List Screenplay that Sells! (Paperback)

I'm teaching a class at UCLA in screenwriting and I recently dipped back into the "how to" literature and found this gem. It's now on my "highly recommended" list. Kate Wright is an experienced professional who has worked both sides of the desk, as I have, (as a writer and editor) and offers many extremely helpful, and clearly written suggestions which will strengthen and clarify the writer's approach to storytelling. Unlike other masters - McKee who is encyclopedic in his treatment of the subject, and Field, who is highly structural, Wright offers a concise but integrated approach that really examines the "why" of each choice in a way that makes you want to jumpstart your writing. I loved this book and will recommend it to my students.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hollywood's "Secret" Ingredient, January 11, 2006

By 

Georgia Ocean "Georgia" (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Screenwriting is Storytelling: Creating an A-List Screenplay that Sells! (Paperback)

Screenwriting Is Storytelling by Kate Wright knocked my socks off.

Though I've been a professional writer for two decades, I have avoided books that outline the theories of creative storytelling as I feared such books would be intrusive rather than helpful. I assumed most writers learned to write by writing. This book turns that idea on its head.

In her effort to break down the script writing process, Kate Wright digs deeper than plot, character, and theme. She investigates the connection between great storytelling and the sources of it's subsconscious affect on the audience. She scrutinizes several vastly popular movies in detail, movies that have drawn audiences from all generations, all countries, all ethnic backgrounds. This effort leads her to find the one key ingredient these great movies have in common -- a spiritual connection with the audience. Spiritual connection? Surely, this must be the most "secret" ingredient in the Hollywood formula. Wright bravely explores this spiritual connection through the ethical or moral (if you must) dilemnas of the protagonists and antagonists in these popular movies. This fearless approach has forever changed my way of experiencing motion pictures.

I recommend this book to movie lovers everywhere, it will enhance their enjoyment of motion pictures. I also recommend it to screenwriters who have already internalized the technical aspects of script writing and are searching for something more -- the source of that special connection that can exist storyteller and audience. The author of this book serves as a wonderful guide on that exciting and worthwhile journey.


Georgia Ocean (New York), writer and movie lover