Writing for the Screen

Anna Weinstein is a screenwriter and educator based in Atlanta. She works as a writer-for-hire to develop features and television series, and she is on the screenwriting faculty in the English Department at Kennesaw State University, where she teaches and mentors undergraduate and graduate students. Anna is the Founding Editor of the PERFORM: Succeeding as a Creative Professional book series.

• ACKNOWLEDGMENTSINTRODUCTIONCHAPTER 1: GETTING STARTEDEXIT STRATEGIESPreparing to Leave School and Begin Your Screenwriting CareerBy Gabrielle KellyTEN ACTIONS YOU CAN TAKE To Be an Active Hero in Your CareerBy Jen Grisanti IMPRESSING THE DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVEBy Trai CartwrightWRITING FOR TELEVISIONWhat It TakesAn Interview With Fern Field Brooks WHERE DO YOU BEGIN?Notes From the Screenwriting GuruAn Interview With Erik BorkFROM WRITER’S ASSISTANT TO SHOWRUNNERInterning, Knocking on Doors, and Making ConnectionsAn Interview With Stacy A. LittlejohnCHAPTER 2: STICKING IT OUTTHE SCREENWRITER’S JOURNEYBy Pat VerducciWHAT IS A PITCH…?And Why and How Do You Do It?By Joshua MalkinBUILDING A SCREENWRITING CAREERAdvice From the Entertainment Career Coach An Interview With Carole Kirschner A SCRIPT READER’S PERSPECTIVEHow to Love What You Do When You Can’t Do What You LoveBy James NapoliTHE ART OF DISCIPLINE AND PERSISTENCEMoving Toward Creative Success An Interview With Anne FontaineA VETERAN PRODUCER’S TAKE ON SCREENWRITINGAn Interview With Bruce GilbertBy Chuck ErvenNEGATIVE FEEDBACKHow to Find the PositiveBy Hugo Van Laere CHAPTER 3: FINDING SUCCESSBUILDING YOUR TEAMInsights From the Screenwriting ConsultantAn Interview With Linda SegerINDEPENDENT FILMMAKINGWorking With an Independent Film ProducerAn Interview With Mary Jane Skalski DECIDING WHAT TO WRITEBy Kira-Anne PelicanA WORKING SCREENWRITER’S JOURNEY IN AUSTRALIABy Susan MacgillicuddyTHE PATH TO WRITING AN ICONIC FILM Navigating the Business of HollywoodAn Interview With Barry MorrowCHAPTER 4: GETTING AHEADA BOLD MOVERunning With an Unexpected StoryAn Interview With Mary HarronSURVIVING AND THRIVING IN HOLLYWOODEight Principles to Empower Your Writing and Your LifeBy Jim JenneweinFROM CREATIVITY TO CRAFT IN SCREENWRITINGBy Mark ReadmanWRITING FROM PERSONAL EXPERIENCEA Strategy of Forward MotionAn Interview With Claudia LlosaRISKS AND REWARDSFollowing a PassionAn Interview With Jay Paul DeratanySCREENWRITING AND MENTAL FITNESSThoughts From a Mental Health ProfessionalAn Interview With David Silverman CHAPTER 5: STARTING AGAINREINVENTIONWriting the Next Great ScriptBy William RabkinART VS. COMMERCEThe Cage Match in My Brain ContinuesBy Shalom AuslanderEVERYTHING I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT A CAREER IN HOLLYWOOD… I Learned From Writing Scripts By Rosanne WelchSTARTING OVER IN AMERICAFrom Writing to Directing and Back AgainAn Interview With Kirsten Sheridan LIFE LESSONS IN WRITING FOR YOUNG AUDIENCESWisdom From the Head Writer for Sesame StreetAn Interview With Lou BergerINDEX

"This book answers all the hard questions every aspiring writer asks and the rest of the screenwriting manuals avoid. It's astonishing that this essential addition to every screenwriting library hasn't existed before—and a cause for celebration that it finally does now."—William Rabkin, Author of Writing the Pilot, Professor of Television Writing and Producing at Long Island University’s TV Writers Studio"An essential book – so accessible, so beautifully written, so encouraging and realistic and specific. It covers all the bases. Anyone contemplating a career as a screenwriter MUST read this book!" —Dr. Linda Seger, Script Consultant, Author, Seminar Leader"Writing for the Screen is perhaps the most powerful book on 'making it' in screenwriting that I've read in years. It is feverishly real, with raw truths and unabashed encouragement. I love the book's kaleidoscopic portrait and its solid approaches to the unique challenges of succeeding as a screenwriter today."—Dr. Pieter Aquilia, Head, Screenwriting, Australian Film Television & Radio School