15. SCREENPLAY

The Foundations of Screenwriting

by Syd Field

14. SCREENWRITING UPDATED

by Linda Aronson

13. ADVANCED SCREENWRITING

Taking Your Writing to the Academy Award Level

by Linda Seger

12. THE 101 HABITS OF HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL SCREENWRITERS

Insider’s Secrets from Hollywood’s Top Writers.

by Karl Iglesias

11. LEW HUNTER’S SCREENWRITING 434

The Industry’s Premier Teacher Reveals the Secrets of the Successful Screenplay

by Lew Hunter

10. STORY

Substance, Structure, Style, and the Principles of Screenwriting

by Robert McKee

9. YOUR SCREENPLAY SUCKS

100 Ways to Make it Great

by William M Akers

8. SAVE THE CAT

The Last Book on Screenwriting You’ll Ever Need

by Blake Snyder

7. THE SCREENWRITER’S BIBLE

by David Trottier

6. POWER SCREENWRITING

The 12 Steps of Story Development

by Michael Chase Walker

5. SCREENWRITING FROM THE SOUL

Letters to an Aspiring Screenwriter

by Richard W. Krevolin and Jeff Arch

4. ALONE IN A ROOM

by John Scott Lewinski

3. CRAFTY SCREENWRITING

Writing Movies That Get Made

by Alex Epstein

2. REAL SCREENWRITING

Strategies and Stories from the Trenches

by Ron Suppa

Check out my exclusive interview with author Ron Suppa.

1. HOW NOT TO WRITE A SCREENPLAY

101 Common Mistakes Most Screenwriters Make

by Denny Martin Flinn

Which screenwriting books inspired you?

This is a collection of posts, websites, news stories and opinions from across the web and from my own experiences as an aspiring screenwriter.

A moderate sized resource full of original content as well as links to the best screenwriting websites in the world.

If you want to be added to the list of screenwriting websites email me at jason@17west.ca

Explore.  Write!

100 + Awesome Screenwriting Websites

56 Things I Love About Screenwriting

A Year In The Life Of An Aspiring Screenwriter

Mobile Screenwriting Round Up

10 Screenwriting Books That Inspired Me

The Screenwriting Spark

The Athletic Nerd Screenwriting Blog Archives

Screenwriting Book Review

How NOT To Write A Screenplay: 101 Common Mistakes Most Screenwriters Make
by Denny Martin Flinn

Every time someone has asked me to recommend a book on screenwriting I mention this book.

It’s my favorite screenwriting book by far.

The approach author Denny Martin Flinn takes is genius as he explains hundreds of mistakes most amateur screenwriters make.

“I didn’t write this because I can write screenplays.  I wrote this because I have read tons of them” Writes Flinn.

Why not listen to someone who has read thousands of scripts and can spot a beginner within the first 5 pages?

I first read this book after I had finished one of my first feature scripts. 

Reading How NOT To Write A Screenplay during the rewrite stage was a fantastic way to learn how to stay away from the pitfalls that many writers fall into.

The book covers everything from formatting to content.  It may seem disheartening to learn about these mistakes and then find them in your script but it’s a phenomenal way to learn.  Flinn explains each in such a way that will literally have you thanking the book out loud.

He devotes a large chunk of the book to the issue of clarity.  You’ll be shocked at how much better your script will read once you’ve read this book. 

Even something simple as rewording a sentence makes a world of difference.

Wordiness, grammar, titles, covers, description, openings, exposition, montages and more are detailed.  It’s a valuable tool for any screenwriter but it’s especially helpful if you are a beginner.

If you’re new to the screenwriting craft, How NOT To Write A Screenplay HAS to be on your desk.

Actually, I would recommend it to any writer out there.

How Not to Write a Screenplay: 101 Common Mistakes Most Screenwriters Make