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Screenwriting Tricks For Authors (and Screenwriters!) [Kindle Edition]

Alexandra Sokoloff
4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)

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Book Description

Are you finally committed to writing that novel but have no idea how to get started? Or are you a published author - but know you need some plotting help to move your books and career up to that next level?

Screenwriting is a compressed and dynamic storytelling form and the techniques of screenwriting are easily adaptable to novel writing. You can jump-start your plot and bring your characters and scenes vibrantly alive on the page - by watching your favorite movies and learning from the storytelling tricks of great filmmakers.

With this workbook, based on award-winning author/ screenwriter Alexandra Sokoloff’s internationally acclaimed Screenwriting Tricks For Authors blog and workshops, you'll learn how to use techniques of film writing such as:

- the High Concept Premise
- the Three-Act, Eight-Sequence Structure
- the Storyboard Grid
- the Index Card Method of Plotting

- as well as tricks of film pacing and suspense, character arc and drive, visual storytelling, and building image systems - to structure and color your novel for maximum emotional impact, unbearable suspense and riveting pacing, no matter what genre you're writing in.

You'll create your own personalized workbook of genre tricks based on your favorite books and movies and tailored to your own brand of storytelling, and a collage book to build visual image systems. And the emphasis on premise is invaluable for crafting that all-important query and pitch.

In this rapidly changing world of publishing, more and more agents and editors are looking for novels that have the pacing, emotional excitement, and big, unique, "high concept" premises of Hollywood movies (and the potential for that movie or TV sale!).

Whether you're just starting to develop a book or script, or rewriting for maximum impact, this workbook will guide you through an easy, effective and fun process to help you make your book or script the best it can be.

Includes detailed film breakdowns and analysis as well as chapters and resources on how to get a literary agent, writing a query letter, professional networking, and screenwriting contests.

"Sokoloff's advice is spot-on, and her teaching style is direct and effective. A must-have book for authors and screenwriters."
- JA Konrath, A Newbie's Guide To Publishing


Editorial Reviews

Review

"Sokoloff's advice is spot-on, and her teaching style is direct and effective. A must-have book for authors and screenwriters."
--- JA Konrath, bestselling author of  A Newbie's Guide To Publishing

"Sokoloff is a generous mentor with the gifted ability to address a storyteller's practical concerns while encouraging artistic integrity and every author's unique voice.  Only three of my half dozen novels have been written with her unwitting guidance, but I can guarantee that with this book at my fingertips, all my future work- and my reading audience - will benefit from her advice. Recommended without reservation. "  
--- Vicki Pettersson, bestselling author of the Sign of the Zodiac series


"I loved this book! Alexandra Sokoloff breaks down the screenwriting process in easy-to-understand steps with examples from current movies and the BEST practical examples. Her unique and always lots of fun lessons are empowering for first-time writers as well as those with finished screenplays looking to take their project to the next level. Indispensable."
--- George LaVoo, co-writer Real Women Have Curves, writer/director A Dog Year

From the Inside Flap

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction

PART ONE: STORY STRUCTURE

1. The Master List
2. What's Your Premise?
3. What is "High Concept"?
4. The Three-Act, Eight-Sequence Structure
5. The Index Card Method and Story Elements Checklist
6. Elements of Act I
7. Hero/ine, Protagonist, Main Character
8. Protagonist Case Study: Jake Gittes
9. What Makes a Great Villain?
10. Villains, Part 2: The Forces of Antagonism
11. Elements of Act Two
12. Elements of Act Two, Part 2
13. Elements of Act Three
14. What Makes a Great Climax?
15. Visual Storytelling
16. Creating Suspense
17. Plants and Payoffs
18. The Big Twist
19. Character Introductions
20. Fairy Tale Structure
21. Meta Structure
22. Your First Draft is Always Going to Suck
23. Top Ten Things I Know About Editing
24. Life is a Pitch Meeting

PART TWO: STORY BREAKDOWNS

25. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
26. Romancing the Stone
27. Chinatown
28. The Mist
29. Act Climaxes and Turning Points

PART THREE: THE BUSINESS


30. How Do I Get a Literary Agent?
31. Internet Resources for Writers
32. So You Want to Know About Screenwriting
33. Recommended Reading

Figure 1: Story Grid

Product Details


Customer Reviews

4.9 out of 5 stars
(35)
4.9 out of 5 stars
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
31 of 32 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Save your money--Buy this book! November 7, 2010
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
I think it was Blake Snyder in his book, Save the Cat, that said writers will do anything to keep from working--from writing--the single activity they love most in the world. He was right, of course, and one of the things writers do to procrastinate is buy books on writing. This is the perfect outlet, as the primary reason we don't want to write is because the editor in our heads keeps telling us we're just not good enough.

Me, yes, I'm a writer, and as such, I am a procrastinator and collector of fine books on writing. Honestly, there is no book on the subject, in print or out, that I do not own.

And just as Blake Snyder said his book was the last book on screen writing anyone would ever need, Sokoloff's Screen-writing Tricks for Authors is the last book on novel writing you'll ever need. She has condensed the best of the best--at least the most relevant to today's audience--into a no-word-wasted just-the-facts-maam book that no serious writer should be without.

If you buy another book on writing without reading this one first, you'll be wasting money.
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Recommended without reservation June 19, 2010
Format:Kindle Edition
I've been following Alexandra Sokoloff's advice for years now, hunting down informative gems in blog entries and online posts every time a structural problem arose in one of my WIPs. To say I'm thrilled that she finally compiled (and augmented) that advice in one place is an understatement. Sokoloff is a generous mentor with the gifted ability to address a storyteller's practical concerns while encouraging artistic integrity and every author's unique voice. Only three of my half dozen novels have been written with her unwitting guidance, but I can guarantee that with this book at my fingertips, all my future work - and my reading audience - will benefit from her advice.

As a side note, I generally don't like books with exercises. Everything I write is for use, not play, yet I felt no resistance in performing Sokoloff's suggested exercises because they're relevant and applicable to the story structure of everything I write - shorts, novellas, and full-length fiction. There are no shortcuts to craft, but this book can help authors avoid the structural pitfalls that might otherwise keep a story from being finished, or from selling. Recommended without reservation.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars An oustanding approach to writing January 3, 2010
Format:Kindle Edition
Sokoloff's book is a valuable addition to any writer's library, whether published or unpublished. Ms. Sokoloff draws upon her years of experience as a successful screenwriter to explain how to structure a novel. Complete with useful exercises. Highly recommended!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars You'll Learn Something.
This book should be required reading for aspiring authors. You will learn how to better structure your story for dramatic effect using the author's extensive knowledge of... Read more
Published 2 days ago by Mrs. Doubtfire
4.0 out of 5 stars Plan to buy a 2nd copy
Very helpful book. It pinpoints vocabulary and concepts which many other craft books mention but fail to drill down far enough to be completely useful. Read more
Published 5 months ago by BJB
5.0 out of 5 stars Very insightful
I enjoyed reading it. Also the information presented by the author was very insightful about the industry. I recommend it for every aspiring writer.
Published 5 months ago by Shazriel
5.0 out of 5 stars Practical and Insightful: A Must Read
Loving this book. I'm not normally a list maker, but I took the plunge per Sokoloff's instructions and have gained a lot of insight into both myself and my writing. A must read!
Published 6 months ago by DerbyGirl
5.0 out of 5 stars Alexandra Sokoloff Tricks for authors
Alexandra is a great writer and teacher and this books is full of her great tips for better writing, whether it's screen writing or fiction writing.
Published 6 months ago by Suzi Love
5.0 out of 5 stars very useful book for writers
This book is very very useful if you are interested in writing a novel or screenplay. Alexandra's book is full of useful tips about how to structure, refine and ultimately write... Read more
Published 6 months ago by calliope
5.0 out of 5 stars Very helpful!
I'm still working my way through this book- using it in prep for nano and my FIRST time plotting a book (have five completed books- all done without a pre-planned plot ;)). Read more
Published 6 months ago by Marie Andreas
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Advice for Writers
As a writer, I loved this book. It is clearly and concisely written and I learned a lot about screen writing and writing novels. Thank you, Alexandra! Read more
Published 6 months ago by Phyllis H. Haislip
5.0 out of 5 stars How to do it
This book is filled with practical, useful advice and ideas by someone who's been there. Insightful with exercises, tips, and lights the path for the aspiring writer.
Published 6 months ago by Marc J. Fine
5.0 out of 5 stars love it
I have bought many craft books on writing - this one is a keeper. It takes all the elements of great story telling and helps you visually organize them to control and enhance... Read more
Published 11 months ago by STORM
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More About the Author

Alexandra Sokoloff is the Thriller Award-winning and Bram Stoker, Anthony, and Black Quill Award-nominated author of the supernatural thrillers THE HARROWING, THE PRICE, THE UNSEEN, BOOK OF SHADOWS, THE SHIFTERS, and THE SPACE BETWEEN, and the Amazon bestselling new FBI thriller series HUNTRESS MOON. The New York Times Book Review called her a "daughter of Mary Shelley", and her books "Some of the most original and freshly unnerving work in the genre."

As a screenwriter she has sold original horror and thriller scripts and adapted novels for numerous Hollywood studios. She has also written two non-fiction workbooks: SCREENWRITING TRICKS FOR AUTHORS and WRITING LOVE, based on her internationally acclaimed workshops and blog (ScreenwritingTricks.com), and has served on the Board of Directors of the WGA, west and the Board of the Mystery Writers of America.

Alex is a California native and a graduate of U.C. Berkeley, where she majored in theater and minored in everything Berkeley has a reputation for. In her spare time (!) she performs with Heather Graham's all-author Slush Pile Players, and dances - anywhere, any time, any style, with anyone. At all.

Learn more at http://alexandrasokoloff.com

Follow:

http://twitter.com/alexsokoloff
http://www.facebook.com/alexandra.sokoloff

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