Zen and the Art of Screenwriting: Insights and Interviews [Paperback]

William Froug (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1996

This unusual screenwriting book takes up where William Froug's earlier books left off. It offers the reader a tapestry of short essays and in-depth interviews with top screenwriters. Froug's essays cover such topics as avoiding the obvious, the birth of ideas, the process of rewriting, dealing with writer's block, creativity and spontaneity, handling rejection, breaking the screenwriting "rules, " and episodic forms. The interview subjects are: Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption), Callie Khourie (Thelma & Louise), Eric Roth (Forrest Gump), Ruth Prawer Jhabvala (A Room with a View), David Peoples (The Unforgiven), Janet People (12 Monkeys), Bo Goldman (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest), Laurence Dworet (Outbreak), Stuart Kaminsky (Once Upon a Time in America), Larry Gelbart (Tootsie). Zen and the Art of Screenwriting is a fresh, insightful, informative and entertaining read for both novice and veteran screenwriters. William Froug is an Emmy-winning writer-producer whose television credits include "Playhouse 90" and "The Twilight Zone" He was named Producer of the Year in 1956 by the Producers Guild of America and received the Writers Guild of America's Valentine Davies Award in 1987. He is a professor emeritus at UCLA, where he founded the present Film and Television Writing Program.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Twilight Zone and Playhouse 90 veteran William Froug gives indispensable advice in that the Zen encourages you to be true to your voice, write what you want, and dispense with all those books that straitjacket you into a formula. Think of the money you'll save! (Unless, of course, you have an urgent need to write a Speed or Die Hard sequel.) Froug also reinforces my Northern California bias (my home turf): two of the interviews that pepper this book are with screenwriters who live there--Bo Goldman and David and Janet Peoples.

About the Author

William Froug

Product Details

• Paperback: 332 pages
• Publisher: Silman-James Press; 1st edition (October 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1879505312
• ISBN-13: 978-1879505315
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #258,157 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #79 in Books > Arts & Photography > Performing Arts > Reference

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Screenwriter's Treasure, February 1, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Zen and the Art of Screenwriting: Insights and Interviews (Paperback)

I read this book because I just finished William Froug's other book, "Screenwriting Tricks of the Trade", and I was loved and resides on the top of my list of the best/helpful books I've ever read about screenwriting. Both are geared more towards the advanced screenwriter and those who've had essays of structure and characterization up to the gills and are now ready to write something good.

One caution here: If you are looking to teach you zen, forget about it. Go buy a book on zen. If you are looking for more advanced thoughts and exploration on screenwriting, this book is it. William Froug is a wonderful teacher with much wisdom and experience to share.

Similar to another book of his, "Screenwriters on Screenwriting", you see writing through the eyes of the accomplished screenwriter, which can be very helpful for the aspiring writer to pace their careers, goals, dreams and life accordingly. Maybe that's where the zen comes in.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Of The Best!, June 11, 2000

By 

Gil Alan (Los Angeles, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Zen and the Art of Screenwriting: Insights and Interviews (Paperback)

Through the years many how to books have been written, not only on screenwriting but just about every subject imaginable. William Froug's book is more than a "How To" book. Zen and the Art of Screenwriting is a journey into the writers soul, and Froug is the guide that leads you there.

It has been said before and I will state it again; This is the only book you will ever need to read on screenwriting! All others are obsolete and should be dispensed of at once. Screenwriting is an artform born of individual expression and intuion, not a technique. Great writing comes only from the heart!

This wonderful book of insight and interviews will help the reader abandon conventionality and follow thier own unique intuition. I highly reccommend this book to all serious screenwriters from beginers to the advanced professional. Zen and the Art of Screenwriting is a writers best friend. Get it, buy it, read it... then read it again!

2 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Somewhat Disappointed in the Content, August 23, 1998

By 

[e-mail] - See all my reviews

This review is from: Zen and the Art of Screenwriting: Insights and Interviews (Paperback)

After reading the rave reviews by others about how Froug tells you to follow your guts, I found maybe two lines in the whole book about following your instincts, and there is NO mention of Zen principles at all in the book. I found the "hype" about the book and the actual content somewhat misleading. The book does give a few clues about structure, following the same old tired format that every other screenwriting book does.

What salvaged the book for me was the excellent