Write a great script and get it into the hands of the Hollywoodplayers!So you want to be a screenwriter? Whether you want to write afeature film or a TV script or adapt your favorite book, thisfriendly guide gives you expert advice in everything from creatingyour story and developing memorable characters to formatting yourscript and selling it to the studios. You get savvy industry tipsand strategies for getting your screenplay noticed!* The screenwriting process from A to Z -- from developing aconcept and thinking visually to plotline, conflicts, pacing, andthe conclusion* Craft living, breathing characters -- from creating thebackstory to letting your characters speak to balancing dialoguewith action* Turn your story into a script -- from developing an outline andgetting over writer's block to formatting your screenplay andhandling rewrites* Prepare for Hollywood -- from understanding the players andsetting your expectations to polishing your copy and protectingyour work* Sell your script to the industry -- from preparing your pitchand finding an agent to meeting with executives and making adealOpen the book and find:* The latest on the biz, from entertainment blogs to top agentsto box office jargon* New story examples from recently released films* Tips on character development, a story's time clock, dramaticstructure, and dialogue* New details on developing the nontraditional screenplay -- frommusicals to animation to high dramatic style* Expanded information on adaptation and collaboration, withexamples from successful screenwriting duos

Foreword.Introduction.Part I: So You Want to Write for Pictures.Chapter 1: Introducing the Art of Screenwriting.Chapter 2: Preparing to Think Visually.Chapter 3: Diving In to the Screenwriter?s Mind.Chapter 4: Approaching Screenwriting as a Craft.Part II: Breaking Down the Elements of a Story.Chapter 5: Unpacking Your Idea.Chapter 6: Plot Part I: Beginnings.Chapter 7: Plot Part II: Middles.Chapter 8: Plot Part III: Endings.Chapter 9: Character Building.Chapter 10: Say What? Constructing Dynamic Dialogue.Chapter 11: The Nontraditional Film.Chapter 12: Maintaining an Audience?s Trust.Part III: Turning Your Story into a Script.Chapter 13: Mapping Out Your Screenplay.Chapter 14: Surviving Writer?s Block.Chapter 15: Formatting Your Screenplay.Chapter 16: Putting It Together: Structuring Your FirstDraft.Chapter 17: Take Two: Rewriting Your Script.Chapter 18: Adaptation and Collaboration: Two Alternate Ways toWork.Part IV: Selling Your Script to Show Business.Chapter 19: Before You Send It: Premarketing Considerations.Chapter 20: Getting Your Screenplay Noticed.Part V: The Part of Tens.Chapter 21: Ten Screenwriters You Should Know.Chapter 22: Ten Screenwriting Myths.Index.