With the amount of books telling you they can help you write better, it can be incredibly easy to get lost amongst which ones are worth reading. Well, here I’m going to break down my top 10 books that you really should read.
1. Writing and Selling Thriller Screenplays by Lucy V Hay
Lucy V Hay is an incredible writer who has also been a script editor for over twenty years. Her 2013 version of this book was super helpful to me, breaking down a lot of the types of thrillers there are and how to market them. This book inspired a thriller screenplay I’m rewriting on at the moment. She released an updated version in 2023 with added content about pilots for TV series too.
You can get your copy here.
2. The Idea by Erik Bork
I finished reading this one recently and it helped me to hone the initial idea before I got too far down the line. If we don’t have the whole idea of our scripts or novels strongly supported by every part, it falls flat and we’ll likely get stuck trying to finish it. Bork uses the PROBLEM method to make sure we have all the bases covered.
You can get your copy here.
3. Save The Cat! by Blake Snyder
Blake Snyder’s book talks you through genres in a very different way, ie Dude With A Problem. He guides you through using certain percentages and a set amount of page numbers of your script to make sure it flows and you don’t get stuck in Act 2 for too long.
You can get your copy here.
4. The Wall Will Tell You: The Forensics of Screenwriting by Hampton Fancher
This small but mighty book was really useful in its encouragement of writing better. Fancher’s small paragraphs on each bit of screenwriting were in bitesize bits that you could process easily and take on board.
You can get your copy here.
5. Into The Woods by John Yorke
John Yorke’s book on why we love stories and how we tell them was a super helpful read when trying to make my own writing clearer. Yorke uses how stories have changed over the years that are the root to what we read today.
You can get your copy here.
6. Writing Diverse Characters For Fiction, TV or Film by Lucy V Hay
When you find a writer is very good at getting across points about writing very well, you will more than likely read more than just one of their books. Lucy V Hay is definitely one of those. She wrote this one about being diverse with the characters we write. Why? Because the more diverse the characters, the more diverse the readers or viewers for that project would be. Who wouldn’t want that? She covers how to avoid the pitfalls of writing stereotypical characters too when they’re not similar to yourself, ie is a different race, has a disability, etc.
You can get your copy here.
7. The Coffee Break Screenwriter by Pilar Alessandra
No doubt when you’re starting out in your writing career, you’re trying to do it round work, kids, life getting in the way and all you can seem to do is panic you haven’t got time to give your writing the attention it needs. With Alessandra’s book, you don’t need to worry. Each of the activities she suggests are done in ten minutes. When it’s that manageable, you can soon clock up a finished script.
You can get your copy here.
8. Rocliffe Notes: A Guide To Low Budget Filmmaking by Farah Abushwesha
Granted, this is likely to be a bit of an odd one to put in this list. I add it because as a screenwriter, understanding budgets is really useful. If you as a writer understand that adding animals, children, stunts and some serious special effects (SFX) it will push the budget needed for that script to get made higher and higher. Understanding all those impacts makes your writing so much better. So as googly as this book may initially seem in this list, don’t discount its value to your writing.
You can get a copy here.
9. The Art of Script Editing by Karol Griffiths
Understanding what script readers and those that help develop your script as you move further through production is really useful. Knowing just what a Script Editor does might even encourage you to do it as an additional role alongside being a writer. Adding more knowledge of production and what happens to your script as it goes through multiple drafts with notes from other people will do you no harm.
You can get your copy here.
10. The Science of Storytelling by Will Storr
Will Storr’s book was a bit of a stab in the dark initially when I picked it up. It turned out to be a really good idea to help me understand why we’re so addicted to storytelling. Storr takes us through the science behind it in a really interesting way that helped me understand how story works in a different perspective.
You can get your copy here.
So these are my top 10 books on writing. I hope you found them useful and maybe found something to add to your own bookshelf.
Have you got one that I didn’t have on my list that you found helpful? I’d love to hear what recommendations you have in the comments.