This is a great book not only for screenwriters, but for any writer. It provides practical strategies to keep your audience engaged in the plot such as "causality with a conclusion." Causal logic is explained as it relates to different types of plots such as emotional connections or unsolved events. The more complicated the causal logic, the more engaged your reader will become as they try to keep a step ahead of the author and figure out what is going to happen next. This is the reason readers or audiences prefer mysteries and thrillers, they get to try to jump ahead and figure out what's happening next. I have also noticed that many readers are not comfortable with plots that have no resolutions. An example of a film plot of this nature is the independent film "Chan is Missing." The characters in the film look for their friend Chan and never find him. Independent films tend to veer off more into these type of plots as they are either more surreal or more realistic, depending upon your perspective as life events often have no closure. I would recommend this book it to any aspiring writer.

The Creative Screenwriter by Julian Hoxter.

Disclaimer: I received an electronic advanced reading copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. This review is cross-posted on NetGalley, GoodReads, and Amazon.

The Creative Screenwriter is a perfect introductory book for complete novices and a must-have for any rusty indie screenwriter wishing to stretch their creative muscles and catch up on the new developments in the film industry. The book itself is short - a paperback under 200 pages (anyone who had to carry McKee’s Story around knows what I’m talking about), as well written in an accessible language, peppered with jokes and fun examples, and easy to navigate.

My personal favorite part about the book was the inclusivity of the examples: it is, perhaps, a minor thing for some, but I greatly appreciated the normalization of LGBT love stories, for example, and the acknowledgment of importance to resist stereotypes and cliches. I have read plenty of writing advice books, and this is the first time I felt genuinely included and represented as the kind of writer I am: a queer, immigrant woman writing queer, diverse screenplays.

The book is broken into 12 chapters, each of which is a lesson, and you can skip to whatever part you find most useful (though I recommend reading the entire book). Each chapter ends with a creative exercise aimed to help the reader develop their screenwriting and story-structuring skills. In his discussion of screenwriting, Hoxter does not forget about formatting, which, while being the main gatekeeper when it comes to having your script produced, is often neglected in introductory screenwriting classes. And, at the end of the book, he addresses what to do once your first draft is done - how to edit, pitch, submit to festivals, etc. It is truly a book that will guide you from a blank page to selling your screenplay and seeing it produced!

Himself a screenwriting professor at San Francisco State University School of Cinema, as well as a story consultant and re-writing specialist highly knowledgable and up-to-date with what’s going on in the film industry and academia, Hoxter gives candid advice on writing groups and degrees in film: leave if it’s not for you! You do not need to spend your money and time on something that isn’t helping you grow! He also addresses the tentpole structure dictating Hollywood’s script acquisition processes and explains what to expect when you try to sell your spec script to Hollywood. However, the book is not [only] aimed at future blockbuster writers: if you want to write independent, non-linear, or character-driven films, Hoxter spends as much time and attention on teaching how to break the rules and helping you figure out what approach is best for you.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to try their hand at feature film screenwriting, whether or not you wish to pursue it as a career. No prior experience needed!