Screenwriting : Recommendations for books on screenwriting by Kelley Christene Watson

“Story” by Robert McKee is the standard primer. “Save the Cat” is a popular follow-up. I’m personally a fan of “Understanding Comics” by Scott McCloud because of its focus on visual storytelling.

"Screenwriting for Dummies" by Laura Schellhardt

Screenwriter's Bible by Dave Trottier, and I don't know if it's still in print - Story Sense by Paul Lucey

Story is good for understanding how story works. Sid Fields books are good and the internet is probably a good source for understanding formatting. If you read too many books you will get confused and bogged down. Buy one and read it. If you are no wiser buy another. However more important than all the books that exist to mystify screenwriting, the best learning curve is to read screenplays. Read them every day. Then take that screenplay and walk through the film whilst studying the play. You will begin very quickly to see how it all works. and what you need to do to write well.

"Your Screenplay Sucks" by William Akers, anything by Linda Seger.

Dave Trottier for formatting is a must-have. I like Michael Hauge and Blake Snyder for content.

Here are some really good youtube videos on screen writing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=besI6G4p4nw&t=8s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9V4rEQnle8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZgWw5juPJ8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Q07y1JFeEE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vo5dL-8-RPo&t=1890s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrwmYeJW9n4&t=117s

DM me. I’ll send you PDFs of everything I have

You say you're a novice; I suggest you learn the craft of screenwriting first - the Screenwriter's Bible by Dave Trottier is an excellent primer. There are a few good books on story structure & development that you'll get into , but LEARN THE CRAFT FIRST.

I agree with what Doug said.

Aristotle's Poetics for Screenwriters

There's a course I can recommend. It was developed by one of the writers of DANGER CLOSE, the upcoming big-budget Aussie war movie. He was my teacher years ago. His course is about mastering the craft, as well as the form. You'll learn a lot more, and learn it a lot faster, through the practical exercises involved vs reading a book. Check it out - https://screenwriting.courses/ ...fyi - I get nothing for making this recommendation. My endorsement is based on personal experience with the instructor.

Thank you Phil!!

Making a Good Script Great by Linda Seger gives a basic straight line approach to screenwriting.