The definitive guide to identifying and fixing common screenwriting problems from “the most sought-after screenwriter teacher in the world” (Hollywood Reporter)
“If I were writing screenplays . . . I would carry Syd Field around in my back pocket.”—Steven Bochco, writer/producer/director, L.A. Law, Hill Street Blues
All writing is rewriting. But what do you change, and how do you change it? All screenplays have problems. They happened to Die Hard: With a Vengeance and Broken Arrow—and didn’t get fixed, leaving the films flawed. They nearly shelved Platoon—until Oliver Stone rewrote the first ten pages and created a classic. They happen to every screenwriter. But good writers see their problems as a springboard to creativity.
Bestselling author Syd Field, who worked on over 1,000 screenplays a year, gives you step-by-step instructions on how to make your screenplay shine. With The Screenwriter’s Problem Solver, you’ll learn how to:
•Understand what makes great stories work
• Make your screenplay work in the first ten pages, using Thelma & Louise and Dances With Wolves as models
• Use a “dream assignment” to let your creative self break free overnight
• Make action build character, the way Quentin Tarantino does
• Recover when you hit the “wall”—and overcome writer’s block forever
Field provides the professional secrets that make movies brilliant—secrets that can make your screenplay one headed for success . . . or even Cannes.
