Making a Good Script Great

It's very basic but that is a good thing especially if you are just starting out screenwriting. Very easy to understand.

If you're looking for a beginning guide, this probably isn't the book for you (tho' probably put it at #2 or 3 on your list), as it has no information about formatting, etc.However, if you're stuck on a re-write, or feel that the screenplay you're currently working on is getting bogged down with too much detail/exposition and too many tangents in the subplotting, this book might just help. The focus here is on structure. Seger discusses pretty much every element involved in creating the structure of a screenplay. She starts with the macrocosm, discussing the three-act structure itself, then delves into smaller issues related to creating that three-act structure: subplots, character development, unification elements, etc., etc.Throughout, the writing is clear and informative. And don't let the title deceive you. I'm using information from this book to restructure my current project before it hits the page--to pleasing effect.If books that focus too much on formulas, or give big do/don't lists, or tell you that you need something big to happen on page 10 (without telling you how to get there) annoy you, this may be the perfect book for you. Highly recommended.

For someone who is new in the world of screenwriting, this book is an excellent introduction to the structure and tricks screenwriters use to make a good script great. Linda Seger lays out each step clearly and in a fashion easily comprehendible, including excerpts from films that excel at each step. I would recommend, though, watching some of the films mentioned prior to reading the book. Unforgiven, Out Of Africa, Back To The Future, Witness, and Tootsie are a few. Out of all the screenwriting books, Linda Seger's `Making A Good Script Great' has to be one of the easiest to read, and the best for beginners.

As a script consultant, screenwriter and film critic, I cannot recommend this book too highly. It presents craft principles clearly and succinctly with good examples, and enables the reader to approach their own writing much more confidently. The book is especially helpful at two stages in the writing process: the first is at the beginning when you're faced with a mass of story material, ideas, character elements, themes, bits of dialogue ... and you're trying to see the wood for the trees. The book helps you sort them out and develop a structure for the story, as well as defining the function each of these bits of material might perform in the script.The second point at which you can turn to the book for help is after you've written a draft and you need to sit back and look at what you've done with a cold, objective, analytical eye. As you read the book, you find yourself applying the concepts and principles to your own work, and the weaknesses (and of course the successful bits!) are easily apparent. It works as a memory jogger, a kind of touchstone to bring you back to first principles, which often get obscured as you concentrate on the specifics of getting the stuff down in writing. I've read many books on scriptwriting and have gleaned something useful from each one, but Making a Good Script Great is the one I recommend to writers, especially those starting out, and it's the one I personally always go back to as my basic, easy-to-get-around reference text. In fact, writing this review has just reminded me that my own copy is currently on loan to a friend and I'd better get it back!