Subtitle: Twenty-two Oscar-Winning Screenwriters Bare Their Secrets to Writing

I received an advance reader copy of this book from the publisher through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

Lew Hunter is a professor of screenwriting at UCLA. Naked Screenwriting is a collection of 22 interview sessions conducted by Hunter, mostly in the presence of members of one of his graduate screenwriting courses.

It took about two months between when I first started reading this book, with a couple of extended breaks where I read other ARCs to keep from falling behind on my other reading. This book was so long, and so repetitive in nature that I just wasn’t able to read through it in one go.

The main takeaway that I got from reading this book is that there is no secret “correct” creative process for writing a screenplay – each screenwriter developed a method that worked for them. I think the most helpful thing I read in it, and I don’t remember which one of them said it, but one of them said that when he is questioned about the theme of any of his works he simply responds “No man is an island.” That works for me.

I gave Naked Screenwriting three stars on Goodreads. Besides being in serious need of being cut down to a more manageable size, some of the interviews took place in the 1990s and had little to do with the current state of the movie-making business.

UCLA screenwriting professor Lew Hunter shares interviews from over the years with twenty-two of some of Hollywood’s famous screenwriters, including Oliver Stone, Francis Ford Coppola, Julius Epstein, and Billy Wilder. He saves Wilder for last.

I wouldn’t recommend devouring this one to the casual fan. It’s over 500 pages, but taking it an interview at a time, maybe one per day or every couple of days makes it a super insightful and approachable read. I’m a huge movie nerd and wanted to be a screenwriter at one time. Who knows? Maybe someday I still will.

Every writer interviewed has great stories and shares insight into their process as well as tips for writers. A common theme among many is characterization. Studios are obsessed with plot and story, but audiences want to connect to the characters on screen almost universally. That’s what elevates film into more than just a mindless good time, connections.

I agreed with a lot of what I read here, and I disagreed with some things. Some of the white dudes that have dominated this field for so long have been elevated to legend status. In some respects they deserve it, but there will always be things I disagree with. If you’re looking for insight into the process of screenwriting, you won’t get more in depth than conversations with the greats. I enjoyed this, even though it took me quite a while to get through and is a lot to digest. I think I’ll be revisiting it down the road to pick up things I missed the first go ’round.

Netgalley sent me an e-galley version of this book in return for a review.

This is an interesting set of interviews with a variety of screenwriters talking about their process. I really enjoyed the insights into how they work. My one complaint would be that most of the interviews seem to take place back in the 1990s. It would've been interesting to hear from some more contemporary screenwriters. But overall this is a fun book to flip through. Find the writers who wrote movies you enjoyed and learn more about how those movies were created.

An interesting book on screenwriting full of interviews from other screenwriters. Not exactly a how-to book on screenwriting, but there is definitely something to learn within these stories of others.

**I received and voluntarily read an e-ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

I've read tons of screenwriting books, but I'm always on the lookout for the chance to read some more. Lew Hunter has been known for his great advice for decades, some the chance to read this book was awesome.

I do wish there had been even more screenwriters chosen to be added to this book, maybe some of the most recent Oscar/Emmy/Golden Globe winners or even some of the Marvel writers as they have had some of the most impact on the industry in recent years.

Overall, this book does a great job of taking some of the most famous screenwriting advice and condensing it all down into one book.