[IMH]

I don’t even remember how many screenwriting books I’ve read. It’s rather a rite of passage, I suppose, and while I’ve picked up a couple more in the past year, I mostly skim them. After a certain point, you’ve read everything there is to say, and you just need to write.

That said, certain books are more worth your time than others. Here are the ones I most recommend:

Books on screenwriting.

• The Secrets of Action Screenwriting by William C. Martell. (Out Of Print)
  Currently out of print, but this is the best nuts-and-bolts book on screenwriting I’ve ever seen. Plus, unlike most other screenwriting books, Bill’s a screenwriter first, having had some 19 movies produced from his scripts. Bill’s been shopping it to publishers (it was initially self-published), and at some point somebody should bite — copies sell on eBay for $200 and up!
• The Complete Book of Scriptwriting by J. Michael Straczynski.
  One of the few other books by an actual working writer. More or less glosses over the technical stuff, but a nice overview of scriptwriting, plus an appendix with one of the best Babylon 5 scripts for an example (”The Coming of Shadows”).
• Screenwriting from the Soul by Richard Krevolin. (Out Of Print)
  OK, it had an annoying conceit, basing its structure on Rilke’s Letters to a Young Poet. But the information in it was pretty solid and well-communicated. Even the Kant reference made good sense. And how many screenwriting books reference Kant, or any philosopher, in any capacity?
• The 101 Habits of Highly Successful Screenwriters by Karl Iglesias.
  A great book to dip into, rather than read straight through. Iglesias interviewed more than half a dozen successful screenwriters, and lets them speak directly to the reader under a vast array of subjects.
• Story by Robert McKee.
  It’s easy to knock his over-analytical method, and he does get buried in minutiae. But it’s relatively easy to get past that and see what he’s getting at. And what he’s getting at is good, an antidote to navel-gazing art films and action films that use shakycam and explosions to cover up plot holes (or total lack of plot altogether).

Books on writing:

• The Art of Fiction by Ayn Rand.
  It doesn’t matter whether you disagree with her philosophy — the knowledge and advice she shares here on constructing fiction is invaluable. And if you turn out not to like her methods, then try:
• On Writing by Stephen King.
  Pretty much a polar-opposite approach to Rand’s, King believes in giving total control to your subconscious, and not plotting anything ahead of time. His advice on how to do it is pretty good, even if he does neglect to make clear that his methods, even for him, lead to as many trainwrecks (Bag of Bones) as masterworks (The Shining). Point being, he doesn’t believe in analysis or planning at all, just in going with your gut. Some people need to work that way. If you’re one of them, then this book is for you. And if you’re not, it’s still a very good read.