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My POV
by Brian A. Wilson
BOOK REVIEW
The Screenwriter's Survival Guide
Or, Guerrilla Meeting Tactics and Other Acts of War.
Do's and Don'ts To Get Your Feature Screenplay Read, Sold and Produced
by Max Adams
The title sets the tone for Max Adams' book, the latest valiant effort to demystify the ever-enigmatic Hollywoodland. Title and book come off as very descriptive, undeniable earnest, yet in need of just one more razor-sharp edit. With such a final trimming, the book would feel packed with tips, anecdotes and hard information.
Without, it still provides good information, but it takes a bit of persistence to find it.
Max Adams has walked the Hollywood career path sought by thousands of writers, specifically, the writers who enter script contests. Max hit back-to-back homers, winning the Austin Film Festival competition and the Nicholl Fellowship in the same week. Nice week at the mailbox, eh?
In honing her craft, Max participated in a (now-defunct) online scriptwriting group. This book is the distillation of what she learned in process, enhanced by her Hollywood experiences since.
The book does a good job of hitting the mark for beginning writers. It covers all the topics one might wonder about, from what to write to finding an agent, and of course how to make the most of contests.
Each of the book's 64 chapters is a brief essay on a topic. This makes it easy to read the book in small bites, perfect for the time-starved writer.
Those who have read a few pounds of Hollywood books won't find too much surprising information in "Survival Guide." The notable exception comes in the late chapters, especially the discussion of the dirty little secrets of life in the WGA.
Three cheers to Ms. Adams for taking time out of a time-consuming and, no doubt, much more lucrative screenwriting career to pass along her wisdom to those who would follow in her footsteps. |
