The Savvy Screenwriter
by Susan Kouguell
TL Hoell Books,190 pages, $14.95
Reviewed by James L. Menzies
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LEGEND HAS IT THAT upon completion of one's screenplay
the script will get up, dress itself, make you a celebratory western
omelette, walk to a production studio, read itself aloud and bring
back an entourage of wealthy executives. I do not think that Susan
Kouguell would agree with this theory, but I suspect I represent
a large number of young screenwriters who spend an unhealthy amount
of time in the dark about how to make a living at writing. Ms. Kouguell
has given it to us straight in her new book, The Savvy Screenwriter,
in which she contends that the real work doesn't begin until the
script is completed, and that the individual who does not adhere
to a carefully constructed plan of action has no chance of survival
in this business. I must admit that I was disheartened by this thesis
– especially since I didn't believe that anything could be
more difficult than actually writing the script. From the beginning,
I read this book with a bit of resistance. I had a fair amount of
disdain for Kouguell, who was trying to stymie my sophomoric plan
of attack: do nothing and let the power of my written words bring
me prosperity! I soon acquiesced. The Savvy Screenwriter lays out
a detailed plan. It first explains how to fine-tune your work. It
then demonstrates how to promote an interest in, and ultimately
sell, your script. The book is concise, well structured, objective
– and a bit humbling. It reminds you that no one is good enough
to escape the process.
The Screenwriter's Survival Guide
by Max Adams
Time-Warner Books
$13.95; 310pp, softcover
Reviewed by Colleen Patrick
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In THE SCREENWRITER'S Survival Guide, screenwriter
Max Adams (who is now also a director, as she brings her Nicholl
Fellowship-winning script, My Back Yard, to the screen) hands you
all the keys you'll need to becoming a produced screenwriter. Using
plenty of personal detail and more than a touch of humor, Adams
shows you how to take your script from"The End" to the
big screen, step-by-step. On a pragmatic note, Adams covers topics
from LA traffic navigation to what to wear and eat at lunch meetings,
what to say and not say at pitch sessions, how to fire an agent,
and how to use buzz words like"high concept." Adams insists
The Screenwriter's Survival Guide is not a writing book. Instead,
she focuses on information you may not find elsewhere, like what
producers want to hear – and in what order – to make your
pitch successful every time.
"You must actually really love and care about the material,"
she advises."You have to. If you don't, why should anybody
else? You tell them they should read [your script] because it's
important. Because it's entertaining. Because it explores the human
condition and gives people who see it something of value,"
she says.
The Screenwriter's Survival Guide offers a refreshingly positive
look at Hollywood. decision-makers. When they take the time to meet
with you, they hope you'll be the one with that idea they can get
behind and carry all the way to the big screen.
Zen and the Art of Screenwriting 2
by William Froug
Silman-James Press
330 pages, $21.95
Reviewed by Gretchen German
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In Zen and the Art of Screenwriting 2, William
Froug continues his mission to wrestle screenwriting out of the
hands of the screenwriting rules gurus and help writers discover
the art in their work. Froug is the anti-Syd Field, firmly against"placing
particular structural goals" and"paint by numbers"
writing. He illustrates his points through a series of interviews
with working screenwriters, all of whom seem to agree with his theory
that good writing comes from a need to tell a story and by fully
exploring your characters."Create exciting characters, find
their conflicts and put them to work for you" is the mantra.
Froug has used his influence as a respected writer and founder of
the Film and Television Writing program at UCLA to land interviews
with many well-respected Hollywood screenwriters The interview with
Frank Pierson (Cool Hand Luke, Dog Day Afternoon) is in itself worth
the book's $21.95 purchase price. His thoughts on the thematic underline
of characters, using Sonny in Dog Day Afternoon as an example, made
this writer rethink her entire approach to defining character needs.
The other interviews were also helpful to varying degrees. Scott
Frank (Dead Again, Get Shorty), who you might think is a plot-oriented
guy, says he actually works the other way around, taking each character
and deciding"who they are, what they want, what's in their
way." He says plots then"come from your charactersÉ
if you have great characters, you always have too much plot."
Nicholas Kazan (Reversal of Fortune) contradicts the universal screenwriting
concept that a writer should always know what the underlying meaning
or the theme of his story is. He says it's best"to write out
of unconscious compulsion. I never choose what to write. I let the
stories choose me." MM