Books On Writing

Screenwriting:

  • Poetics by Aristotle. Classic Western Storytelling 
  • The Writer’s Journey by Chris Vogler. Joseph Campbell applied to screenwriting. One of the best books on screenwriting PERIOD.
  • Writing for Emotional Impact by Karl Iglesias. Invaluable to make your shit hit emotionally.
  • Story by Robert McKee
  • Story Story Story
  • Save The Cat by Blake Snyder. My old mentor’s book (RIP). Structure, Pitching, Good Vibes
  • The Coffee Break Screenwriter by PIlar Alessandra. For writers with limited time – especially parents
  • The Screenwriter’s Bible by David Trottier. FORMATTING BIBLE!
  • Screenplay by Syd Field. Structure 101!
  • Writing Movies for Fun and Profit by Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon (Yes, the guys from Reno 911). How to do this damn job esp writing outlines
  • The Art of Dramatic Writing by Lajos Egri. How drama works and shit.
  • Writing Screenplays that Sell by Michael Hauge. Selling shit.

 

TV Writing:

  • The TV Writer’s Workbook: A Creative Approach To Television Scripts by Ellen Sandler
  • Creating Character Arcs: The Masterful Author’s Guide to Uniting Story Structure by K. M. Weiland
  • Writing TV Drama by Pam Douglas
  • Crafty TV Writing by Alex Epstein
  • The Eight Characters of Comedy: A Guide to Sitcom Acting and Writing by Scott Sedita
  • Elephant Books by Sheldon Bull
  • Successful TV Writing by Lee Goldberg and William Rabkin
  • Writing the Pilot: Creating the Series by William Rabkin

 

General Writing:

  • The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell
  • On Writing by Stephen King
  • Bird By Bird by Ann Lamott
  • The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron
  • Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg
  • Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury
  • Consider This by Chuck Palahniuk
  • Daemon Voices by Philip Pulman
  • On Writing Well by William Zinsser
  • The Negative Trait Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman & Becca Puglisi
  • The Emotion Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman & Becca Puglisi
  • The Positive Trait Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman & Becca Puglisi
  • Creating Character Arcs by K.M. Weiland
  • Becoming a Writer, Staying a Writer: The Artistry, Joy, and Career of Storytelling by J. Michael Straczynski (Author)

 

Comedy:

  • The Hidden Tools of Comedy by Steve Kaplan
  • The Eight Characters of Comedy: A Guide to Sitcom Acting and Writing by Scott Sedita (listed above too)

 

Career:

  • Good in a Room by Stephanie Palmer
  • Hollywood Game Plan by Carole Kirshner
  • The Power Paradox by Dacher Keltner
  • Be a Writing Machine by M.L. Ronn
  • The TV Showrunners Roadmap by Neil Landau