The Screenwriter's Problem Solver

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. Now bestselling author Syd Field, who works on over 1,000 screenplays a year, tells you step-by-step how to identify and fix common screenwriting problems, providing the professional secrets that make movies brilliant-secrets that can make your screenplay one headed for success...or even Cannes. 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 From the Trade Paperback edition.