Story Sense: A Screenwriter's Guide for Film and Television

This should be required reading for any type of writer--novelist, screenwriter, playwright. The sections on plot and character development are worth double what this book costs. Too many "how-to" books on writing perpetrate the image of a writer as a conduit for mysterious creative forces. While I'm not entirely discounting that image, there needs to be a balance between writing as an art and writing as a craft. This book falls firmly in the craft column. It demands you cast aside any artistic pretensions and get down to the plumbing of creating a story. And it doesn't stop with the obligatory pep talk--Lucey shows you how it's done. And he shows it better than any other writing how-to out there. If I could give this ten stars I would. Highly recommended.

I have read many screenwriting books and this is the most complete. It takes you by the hand through each step of the process. I would recommend it to anyone interested in screenwriting. The book even states that if you follow the steps in the 12 chapters it should take you 120 hours and would be equivelent to a college course. No need for any other training. This book is it!

Quite simply, this is the best practical guide to screenwriting I have ever read. Not only does Lucey have the right ideas, his skill and experience as a teacher shine through in everything from the structure of his chapters to the dozens of useful exercises. The sections on story ideas and story structure are incredibly good, helping you to choose, hone and develop usable story concepts and forcing you to ditch those that aren't. Lucey backs up his lessons with plenty of practical examples, a great glossary and an excellent bibliography - and unlike many screenwriting texts, this one is well-referenced and researched. If you're serious about screenwriting, buy this book.

I don't think you can find a more practical guide. It helped me think through a lot of issues.Especially helpful after you've been through McKee, Seger, Field, Cowgill, and all the other standards.

This is a must for anyone wanting to learn screenwriting. Lucey presents a unique way of looking at the craft of screenwriting. Each idea and lesson is illustrated by a selection from one of several film examples used throughout the book. When you get done reading it, you want to start over -- and you should -- because there's more in this book than can be absorbed in a single reading.