The following list of Books You Can’t Live Without is based on a set of criteria that I admit may be considered highly idiosyncratic. I judge a book on screenwriting, television writing, or just plain writing on the following:
- How well the author understands the philosophical ideal of the good script (or novel or short story or sentence)
- How much practical knowledge of the business side of things the author demonstrates
- How entertaining the author’s writing style is (because that’s a direct example of how good a writer he or she is)
- How much I learn from the author
- How much I personally know about the author and his or her work (and how much I admire him or her)
Now that you’re armed with knowledge of my bias, here is my list of:
The 10 Most Helpful Writing Books You Can Read
- Television Writing from the Inside Out: Your Channel to Success by Larry Brody
(My favorite book because it really does give you an inside look that no other ever has – I swear) - Television Writing from the Inside Out for Kindle by Larry Brody
(Updated! Even better than it used to be! Gotta love this book!) - Plots and Characters: A Screenwriter on Screenwriting by Millard Kaufman
(Millard was one of my idols, and I even got to hire him once…and learn much more than I expected) - Laughing Matters : On Writing Mash, Tootsie, Oh, God!, and a Few Other Funny Things by Larry Gelbart
(Larry was arguably the all-time great comedy writer–and hardly bitter at all) - Adventures in the Screen Trade : A Personal View of Hollywood and Screenwriting by William Goldman
(Still the best look at what it’s like to be a working writer) - The Collected Works of Paddy Chayefsky : The Television Plays by Paddy Chayefsky
(Cheyefsky was undoubtedly the best writer to ever work in the medium) - The Screenwriter’s Bible: A Complete Guide to Writing, Formatting, and Selling Your Script by David Trottier
(The basics laid out for you) - Opening the Doors to Hollywood : How to Sell Your Idea Story, Book, Screenplay, Manuscript by Carlos De Abreu
(What to do after you’ve finished writing, and not for the faint of heart) - Syd Field’s Screenwriting Workshop
(Okay, it’s a video not a book, but Syd Field’s workshops are far and away the best of their kind and participating, even secondhand, is a must)
And the absolutely most necessary book for all writers of any kind:
- The Elements of Style by William Strunk, Jr. and E.B. White
(Read it! Memorize it! Do it!)
Just to keep life uncomplicated, all you have to do is click on the books you want and you’ll be whisked to your friendly neighborhood Amazon.Com so you can order.
