Just finished reading William Goldman's "Adventures in the Screen Trade" (1983). Goldman was not only the author of more than a dozen fiction and non-fiction books and plays and the recipient of two Academy Awards, he also wrote the screenplays for "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" (1969), "The Great Waldo Pepper" (1975), "The Stepford Wives" (1975), "All the President's Men" (1976), "Marathon Man" (1976), and "A Bridge Too Far" (1977), to name just a few.
A great read, his book is filled with a lot of screenwriting experiences, lessons learned, and wisdom that remain as applicable today as it was almost four decades ago when he wrote the book. For example, he tells the reader / budding screenwriter what the first fifteen minutes (four scenes) of your screenplay must contain. I've never read a writer who put it more succinctly and clearly. He also provides helpful insights into the almost always adversarial relationship between the screenwriter and the director.
Near the end he wishes the reader: "may you have peers as willing to improve your project as you must be; treat them kindly, for they will save your ass many times over."
1 person likes this
Goldman is one of the great screenwriters. When I was learning the craft of screenwriting in high school, Adventures in the Screen Trade was my go-to resource.
James - I now plan on reading his 'Which Lie Did I Tell: More Adventures in the Screen Trade" and "The Big Picture: Who Killed Hollywood? and Other Essays".