Really helpful tips! Especially if you're a novice screenwriter, such as myself. I really found some of the tips useful and easy to understand with examples.

A definitive guide for those who wish to dig into screenwriting. From developing the story, plot, characters, and structuring the script. I'm a writer, but screenwriting is so different I love how this book clearly shows how to format and design a script. Easy to read, rich details, and brilliant illustrations. I love that it is an uncomplicated guide for screenwriting.

Subtitle: From Synopsis to Subplots: The Secrets of Screenwriting Revealed

I received an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

As a writer who has considered writing a screenplay, I had been curious for quite a while to read about the screenwriting process. I placed a request for this book as soon as I saw it available for review.


If you’re looking for a deep dive on screenwriting, this isn’t it. It’s a very quick overview designed to introduce readers to the topic rather than teach them everything they need to know. It gave me enough information to make me want to tinker with writing a screenplay for one of my earlier novels.

I gave The Guide for Every Screenwriter five stars on Goodreads. It provided the type of quick guide to the process that I was looking for and pointed me to other resources to use when I’m ready to learn more.

**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 books about screenwriting, and I've even written a few screenplays. Most screenwriting books focus heavily on plot, character, techniques and so on, then spend a little bit of time on whatever else that wasn't the main focus. This book does a great job of helping spread equal focus on all of those areas.

The section on WGA registration vs. copyrighting is definitely one of the better ones that I've come across.

I would say this book is more for a beginner, as there isn't as much focus on rewriting your script and marketing it as I would like. I would add this book to any collection of someone who wants to write their first screenplay.

The standard book that is recommended for screenwriting has always been "Save the Cat", but "The Guide for Every Screenwriter" should be added to the conversation of essential screenwriting guides. Clear, straight to point, this book gives extremely helpful tips about the structure of a screenplay, allowing for leeway to make a writer's work their own. Highly recommend.

Most books about screenwriting are filled with the authors experiences and the advice is often lost. Calhoun starts off with facts and continues with ‘just the facts.’ This is at the top of my list now for books recommended to anyone wanting to get started screenwriting, or for those who feel overwhelmed with all the info they read out there. This book gives you only facts, and useful facts. It tells the truth, without all the fluff.

@netgalley let me read this one for free in exchange for a review - The Guide For Any Screenwriter- From Synopsis To Subplots: The Secrets of Screenwriting Revealed by Geoffrey Calhoun. My ultimate dream job is to be a tv writer so I can see fat women with acne having good sex with boundaries and care, short guys with kind eyes and silly personalities with a perfect blend of masculinity and femininity getting the spotlight, sexual assault survivors portrayed with authenticity without it being the main plot point of their identity, laid out bare on the screen in front of me with humor and trauma and filled with flare and flaws and I want to to be paired with other writers who are Black, queer, Indigenous, Latinx, chronically ill, disabled, nonbinary, fighting addiction, to tell their stories that represent so many misrepresented (or not represented at all) people with different identities, different experiences, and different voices living both exhilarating lives and also lives just like mine - normal, quiet, but full of love and loss. This book probably won’t wet your willy if you aren’t a big tv or movie buff. My boyfriend Austin and I currently have a movie marathon list hanging on my fridge so we can watch movies together that the other hasn’t seen - I made him watch 10 Things I Hate About You and The Life of David Gale and he made me watch The Thing and The Departed. And we are halfway through Shameless, and Euphoria, and Love on the Spectrum, and *fingers crossed* I’ll get him to watch Greys Anatomy with me for the first time. 🤞🏼This book reads like a textbook and it was fun to see famous movies deconstructed into scripts and outlines and I hope someday I can turn my own stories into a script. Was a breeze to read and loved the layout and structure of it, would highly recommend to other screenwriting dreamers!

The Guide for Every Screenwriter is a very useful book for the aspiring screenwriter. Not only does Geoffrey D. Calhoun explain the foundational principles behind screenwriting, he also provides model examples of how to write particular actions. These examples range from a fade-in to a montage. The model scripts imbedded within the book demonstrate formatting in the most straightforward way possible. Calhoun does not get caught in the quagmire of theory, but sticks to the straightforward, practical applications of making a script a reality.

I received an electronic Advance Reader Copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.
#TheGuideForEveryScreenwriter #NetGalley

This is a wonderful resource that all writers need in their library. I've read a lot of books on story, plot, structure, characters, techniques for this and that, etc, in this book you have them all laid out in easy to follow sections that are clear and to the point. In addition to the crafting sections, I found it extra helpful there were two other parts covering the 'you've written it, what now' of screenwriting. The layout of the book is in an order that makes sense with the writing process and each section is broken into bite sized parts. I read throughout once in a sitting and have gone back to further digest some sections. I know this will be a book I come back to again and again, and even one I keep at my side when I start developing the next story.

This how-to book is practical and short.
Although I've written books, I've never written anything for the screen.
Perhaps a pro would find this book too basic.

It's divided into 5 parts:

1. Development
2. Structure
3. Format
4. What comes next
5. Networking

Each part is broken into many short sections, which make the book easy to skim/read.

It's practical.

The only downside of the book is that it doesn't address the needs of a documentary film.

This short provides a overview of the screenwriting process. It does not include how to market your services or the revision process which can take several years.

I've read many screenwriting craft books over the last seven years. Many are extremely boring and lengthy, but The Guide for Every Screenwriter was refreshingly short and to the point with a sample script. The most important chapter for me is copyrighting the work and not just registering it with the WGA, which I've read many SM posts by other screenwriters to do exclusively. While this craft book can be on your shelf for review, it's not as meaty as the other craft books. But the most important take away is to write and revise often, read other scripts, receive notes, and protect your IP. Ultimately, it gives you a great tool to brand yourself because networking will take your words from page to screen.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and author for the opportunity to read this book for an honest review.

A great extensive guide to screenwriting for beginners, amateurs and keen writers who want to start writing for film.
This book gives tips from start to finish and is a valuable companion for your scripting work.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me read an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I am not a screenwriter, nor do I have any aspirations to be one. So why did I request this book? To become a better writer. This book asked questions that made me think about my work in a different way. For example, "What's in your protagonist's fridge?" I hadn't even considered what their fridge might say about them! Concept, theme, mind maps, subplots, visual subtext...I approach all of these differently now and I believe my written work will be all the stronger for it. Also helpful was the section on branding, something I've been attempting to strengthen.
Everyone who writes, whether short fiction, novels or scripts NEEDS to read this! Your work will benefit 100X over for it!

With THE GUIDE FOR EVERY SCREENWRITER, Geoffrey Calhoun offers hard-won, plain talking wisdom about screenwriting that is applicable for all creative endeavors, all artists striving to tell the best stories that they can. His writer voice is powerful, authoritative, and encouraging even while sweeping away fond hopes and myths that get in the way of the best writing a writer can accomplish. Citing the greats such as Syd Field, Calhoun is that straight-talking expert friend who gives his best to you as you hang on his every word. Wonderful, actionable, useful guide!

The Guide for Every Screenwriter is a great hands-on introduction into the world of commercial screenwriting.
Because it is so comprehensive there are inevitably area which are only touched upon, such as the tricky problem of personal branding and building a website, but I particularly enjoyed the section on story structure and the use of the three types of subplot to add layers to the central character plot-line.
There are no true secrets to screenwriting – the real secret seems to be finding an audience for your work!

A fantastic resource for writers looking to get into screenwriting. Everything is presented in a cohesive, orderly fashion. Even though it is geared toward screenwriting, novelists and short story writers can glean information from this manual.

Thank you NetGalley and We Fix Your Script for the opportunity to read an advance reading copy.

I had no idea how to write a screenplay before reading this book. Now, I think that I will go for it!

A practical overview of screenwriting basics, including examples of popular films and their creators.

This work of nonfiction is such a great tool for those with aspirations to screenwriting. The best section is the structure/ plot section with subplots which is often skipped. Concept / theme triangle is also good. The narrator is excellent and the accompanying pdf is invaluable. This advice is solid and the formatting instructions are useful. Overall, this is a very helpful manual and I strongly recommend it.