Introduction 1Part 1: So You Want to Write for Pictures 5Chapter 1: Introducing the Art of Screenwriting 7Chapter 2: Preparing to Think Visually 15Chapter 3: Diving Into the Screenwriter's Mind 25Chapter 4: Approaching Screenwriting as a Craft 39Part 2: Breaking Down the Elements of a Story 57Chapter 5: Unpacking Your Idea 59Chapter 6: Plot Part I: Beginnings 81Chapter 7: Plot Part II: Middles 91Chapter 8: Plot Part III: Endings 111Chapter 9: Character Building 127Chapter 10: Delivering Dynamic Dialogue 147Chapter 11: The Nontraditional Film 173Chapter 12: Maintaining an Audience's Trust 195Part 3: Turning Your Story into a Script 207Chapter 13: Mapping Out Your Screenplay 209Chapter 14: Surviving Writer's Block 225Chapter 15: Formatting Your Screenplay 235Chapter 16: Putting It Together: Structuring Your First Draft 261Chapter 17: Take Two: Rewriting Your Script 279Chapter 18: Adaptation and Collaboration: Two Alternate Ways to Work 297Part 4: Selling Your Script to Show Business 317Chapter 19: Before You Send It: Pre-Marketing Considerations 319Chapter 20: Getting Your Screenplay Noticed 339Part 5: The Part of Tens 361Chapter 21: Ten Screenwriters You Should Know 363Chapter 22: Ten Screenwriting Myths 379Appendix A: Sample Scenes and Online Resources 387Index 405
Laura Schellhardt is an Associate Professor of Instruction at Northwestern University, where she heads the undergraduate playwriting program in the Department of Theatre. She's dedicated her life to creating new work for stage and screen, and it's her mission to help other writers do the same.