BIBLIOGRAPHY
This list is by no means exhaustive but these are books I have found extremely useful in putting together my courses.
These are also good suggestions for futher study:
Creativity
The Artist's Way - Julia Cameron
A course for creating flow, unleashing creativity and changing your attitudes. A spiritual self help book it's not to everyone's taste but I found some good stuff there.
Impro - Keith Johnstone
Primarily for actors and directors but it's a great read and inspired many exercises in this class.
Improv Wisdom - Patricia Ryan Madson
Renowned drama professor who runs an impro drama group at Stanford University. It relates maxims for improvisers which also work extremely well for writers. There are some excellent exercises to help open up the mind to other solutions and other ways of being.
The Creative Habit - Twyla Tharp
A fantastic book from choreographer Tharp who really understands creative processes. Much of her ideas apply just as easily to screenwriters.
Writing in general
Becoming a Writer - Dorothea Brande
A wise and very respected book from the thirties about writing novels. Brande's observations are easily adaptable to writing screenplay. Many other writers in this field have taken their ideas from this classic.
Plot and Structure - James Scott Bell
A how-to book for novelists but it is crammed full of ideas and techniques for finding good plot.
Zen in the Art of Writing - Ray Bradbury
Ray Bradbury's take on how to put yourself on the right path as a writer. A series of essays on creativity from a man who knows. There is inspiration to be found here.
The Right to Write - Julia Cameron
Brilliant stimulus for writing and inspiration, finding your voice and developing good writing habits.
Writing Down the Bones - Natalie Goldberg
Zen poet, Goldberg has written a great book about keeping your notebook alive.
Plotting and writing suspense fiction - Patricia Highsmith
A genuinely inspiring book from one of my writing heros. Although it's not strictly film, I have found this very useful indeed.
Screenwriting
Screenplay
The Screenwriters Workbook
The Screenwriters Problem Solver - Syd Field
All these books contain things that screenwriters might find useful. Some might find his approach hard to take and a bit over analytical - but there are helpful concepts there.
Tools of Screenwriting - David Howard and Edward Mabley
An excellent primer on some useful aspects of screenwriting, provocative and of practical help. Highly recommended.
The 101 Habits of Highly Successful Screenwriters - Karl Iglesias
Honest screenwriting tips garnered from interviews with 14 working screenwriters in Los Angeles. The book shows some of the realities of how screenwriters go about their work.
On Filmmaking - Alexander MacKendrick
By one of the best teachers of film making, the talented director of 'The Ladykillers', 'The Man in a White Suit' and 'Sweet Smell of Success. Extremely helpful in discovering new ways to think about drama, stories and cinema.
Others
The Comic Toolbox - John Voorhaus
If you're stuck for comedy, this friendly book from John Voorhaus offers practical exercises that generate characters and comedy premises from one of the writers of 'The Wonder Years.'
The Hero with a Thousand Faces - Joseph Campbell
Classic and provocative book examining mythology. The elements of myth and the role of storytelling in human civilisation. This has been extremely influential in Hollywood in understanding classic storytelling.
ellisfreeman1@yahoo.co.uk
This list is by no means exhaustive but these are books I have found extremely useful in putting together my courses.
These are also good suggestions for futher study:
Creativity
The Artist's Way - Julia Cameron
A course for creating flow, unleashing creativity and changing your attitudes. A spiritual self help book it's not to everyone's taste but I found some good stuff there.
Impro - Keith Johnstone
Primarily for actors and directors but it's a great read and inspired many exercises in this class.
Improv Wisdom - Patricia Ryan Madson
Renowned drama professor who runs an impro drama group at Stanford University. It relates maxims for improvisers which also work extremely well for writers. There are some excellent exercises to help open up the mind to other solutions and other ways of being.
The Creative Habit - Twyla Tharp
A fantastic book from choreographer Tharp who really understands creative processes. Much of her ideas apply just as easily to screenwriters.
Writing in general
Becoming a Writer - Dorothea Brande
A wise and very respected book from the thirties about writing novels. Brande's observations are easily adaptable to writing screenplay. Many other writers in this field have taken their ideas from this classic.
Plot and Structure - James Scott Bell
A how-to book for novelists but it is crammed full of ideas and techniques for finding good plot.
Zen in the Art of Writing - Ray Bradbury
Ray Bradbury's take on how to put yourself on the right path as a writer. A series of essays on creativity from a man who knows. There is inspiration to be found here.
The Right to Write - Julia Cameron
Brilliant stimulus for writing and inspiration, finding your voice and developing good writing habits.
Writing Down the Bones - Natalie Goldberg
Zen poet, Goldberg has written a great book about keeping your notebook alive.
Plotting and writing suspense fiction - Patricia Highsmith
A genuinely inspiring book from one of my writing heros. Although it's not strictly film, I have found this very useful indeed.
Screenwriting
Screenplay
The Screenwriters Workbook
The Screenwriters Problem Solver - Syd Field
All these books contain things that screenwriters might find useful. Some might find his approach hard to take and a bit over analytical - but there are helpful concepts there.
Tools of Screenwriting - David Howard and Edward Mabley
An excellent primer on some useful aspects of screenwriting, provocative and of practical help. Highly recommended.
The 101 Habits of Highly Successful Screenwriters - Karl Iglesias
Honest screenwriting tips garnered from interviews with 14 working screenwriters in Los Angeles. The book shows some of the realities of how screenwriters go about their work.
On Filmmaking - Alexander MacKendrick
By one of the best teachers of film making, the talented director of 'The Ladykillers', 'The Man in a White Suit' and 'Sweet Smell of Success. Extremely helpful in discovering new ways to think about drama, stories and cinema.
Others
The Comic Toolbox - John Voorhaus
If you're stuck for comedy, this friendly book from John Voorhaus offers practical exercises that generate characters and comedy premises from one of the writers of 'The Wonder Years.'
The Hero with a Thousand Faces - Joseph Campbell
Classic and provocative book examining mythology. The elements of myth and the role of storytelling in human civilisation. This has been extremely influential in Hollywood in understanding classic storytelling.
ellisfreeman1@yahoo.co.uk
Copyright © 2002 Ellis Freeman
