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© Robin Kelly 1997 - 2005

Books

Trying to find the right book can be difficult and so I have simply listed all the books that have been recommended to me by other writers. All the links on this page will open in the same new window at Amazon.co.uk where you can read more about the book and readers' reviews before buying at a discount.



Character

Comedy

Theatre

Radio

Screenwriting

Story

Shorts

General

Reference

Industry Insight

Sitcom Scripts



Character

Creating Unforgettable Characters - Linda Seger

Developing Characters for Script Writing - Rib Davis

The Writer's Digest Sourcebook for Building Believable Characters - Marc McCutcheon

The Writer's Guide to Character Traits: Includes Profiles of Human Behaviors and Personality Types - Linda N. Edelstein

Comedy

The Comic Toolbox - John Vorhaus

Writing Comedy - John Byrne

Teach Yourself Comedy Writing - Jenny Roche

Writing Television Sitcoms - Evan S Smith

Comedy Writing Secrets - Melvin Helitzer

Writing Television Comedy - Jerry Rannow

Laughing Out Loud - Writing the Comedy-Centered Screenplay - Andrew Horton


Theatre

Writing a Play - Steve Gooch


Radio

Radio Drama - Tim Crook

Writing for Radio - Shaun MacLoughlin

Writing for Radio - Rosemary Horstmann


Screenwriting

Raindance Writer's Lab - Elliot Grove

The Screenwriter's Bible - David Trottier

The Art and Science of Screenwriting - Philip Parker

Screenplay : The Foundations of Screenwriting - Syd Field

How to Teach Yourself Screenwriting -  Raymond Frensham

How to Write a Movie in 21 Days -  Viki King

Screenwriting for Film and Television -  William Charles Miller

Screenwriting 434 - Lew Hunter

Element Of Style For Screenwriters - Paul Argentini

The Complete Book Of Scriptwriting - J Michael Straczynski

Making a Good Script Great - Linda Segar

500 Ways to Beat the Hollywood Script Reader: Writing the Screenplay the Reader Will Recommend - Jennifer Lerch

The Insider's Guide to Writing for Screen and Television - Ronald B Tobias


Story

Story -  Robert McKee

A Story Is a Promise : Good Things to Know Before You Write That Screenplay, Novel, or Play -  Bill Johnson

The Hero with a Thousand Faces - Joseph Campbell

The Writer's Journey -  Christopher Vogler

Stealing Fire from the Gods - James Bonnet

Story Sense : Writing Story and Script for Feature Films and Television - Paul Lucey


General

How to Make Money Scriptwriting - Julian Friedmann

Writing for Soaps - Chris Curry

The Artist's Way - Julia Cameron

The Right to Write - Julia Cameron

Writing Dialogue for Scripts - Rib Davis

Writing Treatments That Sell : How to Create and Market Your Story Ideas to the Motion Picture and TV Industry - Kenneth Atchity, Chi-Li Wong

The Art of Adaptation : Turning Fact and Fiction into Film - Linda Seger

Writing the Romantic Comedy - Billy Mernit

The Art of Creative Writing -  Lajos Egri

Art of Dramatic Writing -  Lajos Egri

Impro for Storytellers - Keith Johnstone

Twenty Master Plots and How to Build Them - Ronald B. Tobias

Ebert's Bigger Little Movie Glossary : A Greatly Expanded and Much Improved Compendium of Movie Cliches,  Stereotypes, Obligatory Scenes - Roger Ebert


Shorts

Writing Short Films - Linda J. Cowgill

Writing the Short Film - Ken Dancyger, Patricia Cooper

Writing Short Scripts - William H. Phillips

Producing and Directing the Short Film and Video  - Peter Rea, David K. Irving

Making a Winning Short: How to Write, Direct, Edit, and Produce a Short Film  - Edmond Levy


Reference

The Writer's Handbook: 2003 - Barry Turner

Writers' & Artists' Yearbook: 2003

"Radio Times" Guide to TV Comedy -  Mark Lewisohn


Industry Insight

Adventures in the Screen Trade - William Goldman 

Which Lie Did I Tell? - William Goldman 

Conversations with My Agent -  Rob Long 

Wake Me When It's Funny : How to Break into Show Business and Stay There - Garry Marshall, Lori Marshall

Writing for Dough; Adventures of a Television Comedy Writer - Bill Idelson

On Writing - Stephen King


Sitcom Scripts

Blackadder -Richard Curtis, Ben Elton, John Lloyd

Dad's Army (series 1-4) - Jimmy Perry, David Croft

Dad's Army (series 5-8) - Jimmy Perry, David Croft

dinnerladies - Victoria Wood

Father Ted - Graham Linehan, Arthur Mathews

Frasier

Fawlty Towers -  John Cleese, Connie Booth

Hancock -  Ray Galton, Alan Simpson

Men Behaving Badly - Simon Nye

Monty Python's Flying Circus 1

Monty Python's Flying Circus 2

The Best of Morecambe & Wise - Eddie Braben

The Office: the Scripts Series 1 - Ricky Gervais, Steve Merchant

Only Fools and Horses 1 - John Sullivan

Only Fools and Horses 2 - John Sullivan

Only Fools and Horses 3 - John Sullivan

Porridge Scripts - Dick Clement, Ian La Frenais

Red Dwarf -  Grant & Naylor

Red Dwarf VIII - Doug Naylor

Rising Damp - Eric Chappell

The Royle Family Complete Scripts - Caroline Aherne, Craig Cash

Seinfeld -  Jerry Seinfeld, Larry David

Steptoe and Son - Ray Galton, Alan Simpson

South Park 1 - Tray Parker, Matt Stone

South Park 2 - Tray Parker, Matt Stone

Till Death Us Do Part - Johnny Speight

The Vicar of Dibley - Richard Curtis, Paul Mayhew-Archer