On Screenwriting Books...

Browsing through screenwriting books on Amazon, I've noticed a number of negative reviews on just about every book I've looked at, all with basically the same comments attached: "This book is no different than other screenwriting books I've read, there's nothing new here, I didn't learn anything from reading this, it's just a rehash of old ideas."

If you've left a review like this, or if you're buying screenwriting books and finding yourself saying these things, let me say this loud and clear:

THE PROBLEM ISN'T THE BOOK — THE PROBLEM IS YOU.

If you've read that many books, why are you throwing money away on more!? Seriously? You know what, don't even answer. You'll probably just lie to yourself anyway.

You're either buying these books because A) You're not good enough to make a living as a writer and you're looking for a bandaid to fix whatever's wrong, or B) You're not actually writing and trying new things, you're just looking for someone else to tell you what to do. In either case, the only way to get better is to write more, not read another book.

Most screenwriting books are written for beginners who want to learn the craft. The truth is, with every writer I've ever met, once you learn the basics of the craft, you're better off writing and having other writers critique your work than you are reading another book.

Leave the books (and websites like this) to the newbies. Go out and write something.

-The Illiterate Writer