Julian Hoxter is the Screenwriting Coordinator and Assistant Professor of Screenwriting in the Cinema Department of San Francisco State University. He is an award winning educator and filmmaker whose films have been shown in festivals around the world. He has taught screenwriting and filmmaking in the US and the UK for over 15 years.

• Introduction: Oh joy, another screenwriting book - Top ten tasks that are more important for a new screenwriter than reading this book 1. What's it all about? - How movies work, only without the complicated bits - "Write what you know": why this idea sucks and what to do about it 2. Screenwriting: the hardest easy thing you will ever do - Kind of a pep talk: you should write a movie - Bad reasons to write a screenplay - Good reasons to write a screenplay - Ideas and where the pesky things hide - Learning something new: the joys of research. Yes, really. 3. Screenwriting is For the Birds: A simple model for cinematic storytelling - Story worlds: their creation and destruction - The 'V': Build a world, break it and then fix it again - Plots and stories: why everything comes from character 4. It's all about the concept - The theme - The premise - The pitch statement - What is a screenplay and how do I get there? - The treatment - The screenplay5. "Taming wild words": It's all about the structure- What structure is for and where it comes from- Narration: positioning your audience- Exposition- Acting it all out- The 'W' model of screenplay structure: acts and angles- Beating it up- The 'W' Beat Sheets- Making a scene- Case study: scene beats in Juno6. Case Study: Brick in the 'W'7. It's all about the characters: this time I really mean it- Character development, or why writing a character bio is often a waste of ink- The 'C Team'8. Dialogue is not just people talking- Movie dialogue is dynamic - except when it isn't9. OK, what now?

Julian Hoxter's Write What You Don't Know is an authentic standout among the growing number of titles treating screenwriting education. The book is fresh, often funny, always insightful, and enormously affirming not only for screenwriters but for all people who love worthy film and literature. The book is written in a language that is accessible and engaging and clear as light. At the same time as it engages the reader at every turn, it continually posits profound insights into the nature of creative expression in all its forms. --Professor Richard Walter, UCLA Screenwriting Chair

Julian Hoxter is the Screenwriting Coordinator and Assistant Professor of Screenwriting in the Cinema Department of San Francisco State University. He is an award winning educator and filmmaker whose films have been shown in festivals around the world. He has taught screenwriting and filmmaking in the US and the UK for over 15 years.

• Introduction: Oh joy, another screenwriting book - Top ten tasks that are more important for a new screenwriter than reading this book 1. What's it all about? - How movies work, only without the complicated bits - "Write what you know": why this idea sucks and what to do about it 2. Screenwriting: the hardest easy thing you will ever do - Kind of a pep talk: you should write a movie - Bad reasons to write a screenplay - Good reasons to write a screenplay - Ideas and where the pesky things hide - Learning something new: the joys of research. Yes, really. 3. Screenwriting is For the Birds: A simple model for cinematic storytelling - Story worlds: their creation and destruction - The 'V': Build a world, break it and then fix it again - Plots and stories: why everything comes from character 4. It's all about the concept - The theme - The premise - The pitch statement - What is a screenplay and how do I get there? - The treatment - The screenplay5. "Taming wild words": It's all about the structure- What structure is for and where it comes from- Narration: positioning your audience- Exposition- Acting it all out- The 'W' model of screenplay structure: acts and angles- Beating it up- The 'W' Beat Sheets- Making a scene- Case study: scene beats in Juno6. Case Study: Brick in the 'W'7. It's all about the characters: this time I really mean it- Character development, or why writing a character bio is often a waste of ink- The 'C Team'8. Dialogue is not just people talking- Movie dialogue is dynamic - except when it isn't9. OK, what now?

Julian Hoxter's Write What You Don't Know is an authentic standout among the growing number of titles treating screenwriting education. The book is fresh, often funny, always insightful, and enormously affirming not only for screenwriters but for all people who love worthy film and literature. The book is written in a language that is accessible and engaging and clear as light. At the same time as it engages the reader at every turn, it continually posits profound insights into the nature of creative expression in all its forms. --Professor Richard Walter, UCLA Screenwriting Chair

Julian Hoxter is the Screenwriting Coordinator and Assistant Professor of Screenwriting in the Cinema Department of San Francisco State University. He is an award winning educator and filmmaker whose films have been shown in festivals around the world. He has taught screenwriting and filmmaking in the US and the UK for over 15 years.

• Introduction: Oh joy, another screenwriting book - Top ten tasks that are more important for a new screenwriter than reading this book 1. What's it all about? - How movies work, only without the complicated bits - "Write what you know": why this idea sucks and what to do about it 2. Screenwriting: the hardest easy thing you will ever do - Kind of a pep talk: you should write a movie - Bad reasons to write a screenplay - Good reasons to write a screenplay - Ideas and where the pesky things hide - Learning something new: the joys of research. Yes, really. 3. Screenwriting is For the Birds: A simple model for cinematic storytelling - Story worlds: their creation and destruction - The 'V': Build a world, break it and then fix it again - Plots and stories: why everything comes from character 4. It's all about the concept - The theme - The premise - The pitch statement - What is a screenplay and how do I get there? - The treatment - The screenplay5. "Taming wild words": It's all about the structure- What structure is for and where it comes from- Narration: positioning your audience- Exposition- Acting it all out- The 'W' model of screenplay structure: acts and angles- Beating it up- The 'W' Beat Sheets- Making a scene- Case study: scene beats in Juno6. Case Study: Brick in the 'W'7. It's all about the characters: this time I really mean it- Character development, or why writing a character bio is often a waste of ink- The 'C Team'8. Dialogue is not just people talking- Movie dialogue is dynamic - except when it isn't9. OK, what now?

Julian Hoxter's Write What You Don't Know is an authentic standout among the growing number of titles treating screenwriting education. The book is fresh, often funny, always insightful, and enormously affirming not only for screenwriters but for all people who love worthy film and literature. The book is written in a language that is accessible and engaging and clear as light. At the same time as it engages the reader at every turn, it continually posits profound insights into the nature of creative expression in all its forms. --Professor Richard Walter, UCLA Screenwriting Chair