Story Sense: Writing Story and Script for Feature Films and Television [Paperback]

Paul Lucey (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0070389969 | ISBN-13: 978-0070389960 | Publication Date: January 1, 1996 | Edition: 1st

This is the first true textbook for a course in screenwriting. Story Sense provides specific strategies for writing story, character, and script. A wealth of techniques are suggested so that screenwriters can select those that work best for them. The book has been conceived as a working manual for screenwriters and offers hands-on advice for solving the many problems that crop up as the work progresses. In addition, the book includes examples of script format, a glossary of film terms, the Writer's Guild's compensation terms, and such insider examples as a sample studio script evaluation form, a sample script analysis, a sample studio reader's questionnaire, and a sample re-write.

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Companies; 1st edition (January 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0070389969
• ISBN-13: 978-0070389960
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #231,730 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The only one you need., June 29, 2000

By 

Steven Reynolds (Sydney, Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Story Sense: Writing Story and Script for Feature Films and Television (Paperback)

Quite simply, this is the best practical guide to screenwriting I have ever read. Not only does Lucey have the right ideas, his skill and experience as a teacher shine through in everything from the structure of his chapters to the dozens of useful exercises. The sections on story ideas and story structure are incredibly good, helping you to choose, hone and develop usable story concepts and forcing you to ditch those that aren't. Lucey backs up his lessons with plenty of practical examples, a great glossary and an excellent bibliography - and unlike many screenwriting texts, this one is well-referenced and researched. If you're serious about screenwriting, buy this book.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the Best, December 31, 2005

By 

MN (Boston, MA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Story Sense: Writing Story and Script for Feature Films and Television (Paperback)

This should be required reading for any type of writer--novelist, screenwriter, playwright. The sections on plot and character development are worth double what this book costs.

Too many "how-to" books on writing perpetrate the image of a writer as a conduit for mysterious creative forces. While I'm not entirely discounting that image, there needs to be a balance between writing as an art and writing as a craft. This book falls firmly in the craft column. It demands you cast aside any artistic pretensions and get down to the plumbing of creating a story. And it doesn't stop with the obligatory pep talk--Lucey shows you how it's done. And he shows it better than any other writing how-to out there.

If I could give this ten stars I would. Highly recommended.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best book on screenwriting that I've read., June 26, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Story Sense: Writing Story and Script for Feature Films and Television (Paperback)

This is a must for anyone wanting to learn screenwriting. Lucey presents a unique way of looking at the craft of screenwriting. Each idea and lesson is illustrated by a selection from one of several film examples used throughout the book. When you get done reading it, you want to start over -- and you should -- because there's more in this book than can be absorbed in a single reading.