The Screenwriter's Problem Solver: How to Recognize, Identify, and Define Screenwriting Problems

Although written for screenwriters, Syd Field's The Screenwriter's Problem Solver is full of useful advice for any kind of storyteller; as a novelist in the middle of writing my next novel, I found Problem Solver very helpful. Unlike most screenwriting books, which are about building your story from the ground up, The Screenwriter's Problem Solver is for the writer with a story-in-progress, exploring the relationship among character, plot and structure, and how each fit into the whole story -- and ways to troubleshoot if one or more of these elements needs to be strengthened. Field draws examples from screenplays that worked (and those that didn't), with liberal examples from a variety of popular films, including The Shawshank Redemption, Thelma & Louise, Crimson Tide, How to Make an American Quilt and Terminator 2: Judgment Day. The end result is a useful text for any storyteller wanting to build a better story.

As a screenwriting instructor, I can say, unequivocally, you need this book! If you've spent time and money perfecting your craft, then you need this book to make sure you do the very best job possible with structure, plot, characterization, dialogue, etc. And you can't go wrong with Field. Many people have tried to put him down by calling him a "guru" but that's just sour grapes! Syd IS the guru of screenwriting and with good reason. He's the best. If you let him, he'll teach you to be the best as well. Highly recommended!

I had read Field's excellent book Screenplay several years ago, and it helped me tremendously in writing my first screenplay. Since them I have written two more, but neither of them have sold. When I finished my last screenplay, I knew I had some problems, but I didn't know what I could do to fix it. So,I gave it to a few people to read,and then everyone started giving me different advice.The more people I gave it to, the more confused I became. So, I got the Screenwriter's Problem Solver and was absolutely delighted to find a way I could identify and define the problems in my own screenplay.It was like I really felt I could take control of my own writing. When I finished the book,I approached my screenplay with the understanding of how to recognize and analyze the problems, then break them down into the various problem catagories of plot, character and structure. I really feel the book has been instrumental in my understanding of how to approach the solving my problems in the rewrite. Each chapter took me through a different area of the process and I'm happy to say that after I rewrote my script, which took several months, I submitted it to a production company and while they didn't buy it, they liked it well enough to recommend an agent in Hollywood, and he is now showing it around. I'm so happy to have read this book; it is so literate, so clear, I see why Field is called the "meta guru of screenwriters."

Syd Field is the Richard Simmons/Anthony Robbins/Jay The Juiceman of Screenwriting. I say this because he is a master of his craft (script consulting) and proves this in every book which he writes. His video series, which I have seen a little bit of, deserves to be advertised on an infomercial. I love Syd Fields book on rewriting. He goes places where Seger and Deemer combined don't, digging deep into every revision element you could think of. I also think that this is his best book (although Screenplay, Four Screenplays, and Screenwriters Workshop are still in my opinion required reads for any person interested in this area of the fine arts), and I am anticipating the last draft of my soon-to-be-sent screenplay to be complete, of course with the help of this book. Take care!

Before I read Mr. Field's book, I thought I understood what I needed to do to make a screenplay I had written better. Wrong! After reading this book, I suddenly had a new insight and a new set of tools to trouble shoot my own scripts, as well as others. It truly is the best craft book I have ever read about screenwriting, and I have every one that's been published. Great book! I recommend it to everyone who wants to sharpen the tools of their craft.