Making a Good Script Great (Revised, Expanded) Paperback – February 15, 2010

Well, this ain't a book I'd have normaly bought, but as I've moved on from book writing to script writing, my editor recomended that I read this first. He says he always recomends this book (and others by Seger) to his writers before they try tackleing a really big script. He says that Seger knows how to teach the best use of "script writer's tools", and that no good script writer should be without this book. He says there are too many writers that go purly on creative flow only, and forget about useing the "proper tools" that make a good script a great script. He says he looks for writers flowing with creative ideas, cause creativity and great ideas are hard to find...but than he wants to make sure they've got the right tools to make their ideas really shine, and so he recommends taking those ideas and useing them with the exercises in the book to really polish and hone your script to perfection.Okay! Well, I took his advise and bought this book...so...now what do I think about it??? Well, I have to agree with my editor on this one. YIKES!!! Did I really just say that??? Me and my editor are actually agreeing on something?!?!?!?! WOW! Who'd ever have thought it was possible! OH SHOCK!! OH HORRORS!!! HELP ME!!! I'm agreeing with my editor!!! Yes! He is right this book is great! I'm so glad he told me about it!...to my editor...THANK YOU!!! THANK YOU!!! THANK YOU!!!

I've read all the popular screenwriting books on the market:Syd Field's books (a must read)Lew Hunter's SCREENWRITING 434SAVE THE CATMcKee's STORYHOW TO WRITE A SCREENPLAY IN 21 DAYSSCREENWRITING FOR DUMMIESTruby's THE ANATOMY OF STORY...and so many more I can't remember. But this is the best book IMO because it combines nicely form and theory. It is perfect for beginner's AFTER they read Syd Field's books. It will help beginners understand how to RE-WRITE and fix their initial screenplay efforts. Nothing melds formula and theory in a PRACTICAL WAY like this book. Books relying too much on a formula (SAVE THE CAT, DUMMIES) oversimplify the writing process and books on theory go so pointlessly deep sometimes (Truby) that they make writing feel needlessly intellectualized and complicated. Linda Seger's book is the perfect mix. Every writer is going to have his or her own writing style created from all the books they read on 'how to' write a screenplay but this is the MOST PRACTICAL and HELPFUL BOOK on screenwriting there is. A MUST READ!!!

I am about halfway through this book, but I think it is the best introductory book on screenwriting I have read so far. Dr. Seger is very thorough in her analysis of the various parts of a screenplay, and she includes some wonderful exercises at the end of each chapter. She has suggested a number of items I hadn't thought of before, so I have really been impressed with her teaching.The only complaint I have--which is a very minor one--is that sometimes she puts things in a different order than I would. For example, in some paragraphs and sentences, she saves the best part for the last, whereas I would notice these things more if she put them at the beginning, instead. But, that is just a personal peeve, which in no way detracts from her excellent advice.Overall, I think a reader/student of screenplay writing should start with this book. Then, I would suggest Syd Field's book The Screenwriter's Problem Solver, followed by Michael Hauge's How To Write A Screenplay That Sells. Each of these two other books has invaluable information in it, but I think Dr. Seger's book might be a better place to start.Again, Dr. Seger writes very readably and offers her wonderful advice in understandable language, with good examples to illustrate whatever point she is trying to make.This book is a must!

On the high endThis is exactly what every professional needs in the arsenal. It really is a thorough dismantel of the script. Linda discusses common mistakes and remedies them. Reading and applying the knowledge in this book should improve any screenwriter. Give Linda your money now.On the low- I wouldn't recommend this for a beginner. There's a lot of nitpicking. It will probably have most of you worrying so much that you will never finish your script. Write your script first, then rewrite it a few times, then read Linda's book, then rewrite it 6 more times. :)- A lot of it feels like common sense to me and I get tired of the example movies, especially if I haven't seen the movie. Zzzzz..... I get the urge to skip over several paragraphs in each chapter to make it move faster and I find myself telling to the author "Yeah, I get it."- I think that a lot of what is in this book can be driven out of oneself with the proper attitude... something along the lines of "Appreciate your readers time."Pair this with a basic book on formatting and your screenwriting library should be near complete. Beyond that, read and write screenplays until you can write a great screenplay yourself. Then call Linda up so she can tell you what to fix in yours!

This is a great book. I’ve been writing for a while and whenever I get stuck, this book just brings it back for me.

My item arrived in perfect condition. Arrived sooner than I expected. Quality is very good.I definitely recommend this seller

This is the kind of screenwriting book to keep on your reference shelf. It's well written with solid advice and ideas.I first read this book many years ago and recently re-read it. It's better than ever and holds up over time. This book is for anyone interesting in learning about how to write or analyze a screenplay. I definitely recommend it.