advice from the pros Hollywood Secrets Before you descend on L.A. with your Final Draft software and "Citizen Kane" poster, there are some tips about writing for Hollywood you should know. What I REALLY Want to Do Is Write... Seven rules to help you make it as a screenwriter. Screenwriting Q&A Professional Script Consultant Susan Kouguell offers some tips on how to make a great screenplay and how to get it sold. Strength in Numbers: The Writers Guild of America Ever wonder what's behind these closed doors?  Well, here you can find out the details of the Guild -- costs, benefits, etc.

letters from LA Check out the past in this series of letters by former Cambridge/ Brookline resident and screenwriter M.M. Goldstein who reports from another world... LA. Also, see his Journey in Seven Sequences

discussion

Screenwriting
Find a collaborator, discuss the how's and why's of getting an agent, learn how to present a top-notch pitch, or share resources for aspiring and professional screenwriters.

other resources

COPYRIGHT YOUR SCRIPT
BOOKS ON SCREENWRITING
ONLINE RESOURCES FOR SCREENWRITERS
SCREENPLAY COMPETITIONS
SCREENWRITING DISCUSSION FORUM
SCREENWRITING WORKSHOPS

Copyright Your Script
You should send your script to be copywrighted before sending it to anyone.  You should definitely send it to the US Copywright Office.  Some also recommend listing it with the Writers Guild of America.

United States Copyright Office
http://lcweb.loc.gov/copyright/

Writers Guild of America
http://www.wga.org/manual/registration.html

Relevant Books

Afi Writing Great Screenplays for Film and TV (2nd Edition) ~ Ships in 2-3 days
Dona Cooper / Paperback / Published 1997
amazon.com price: $11.96 ~ You Save: $2.99 (20%)

African-American Screen-Writers Now : Conversations With Hollywood's Black Pack ~ Ships in 2-3 days
Erich Leon Harris / Paperback / Published 1996
amazon.com price: $13.56 ~ You Save: $3.39 (20%)

Alternative Scriptwriting : Writing Beyond the Rules ~ Ships in 2-3 days
Ken Dancyger, Jeff Rush / Paperback / Published 1995
amazon.com price: $23.96 ~ You Save: $5.99 (20%)

American Screenwriters / the Insider's Look at the Art, the Craft, and the Business of Writing Movies ~ Ships in 2-3 days
Karl Schanzer, Thomas Lee Wright / Paperback / Published 1993
amazon.com price:: $9.60 ~ You Save: $2.40 (20%)

The Art of Screenwriting : Story Script Markets ~ Usually ships in 24 hours
William Packard / Paperback / Published 1997
amazon.com price: $11.16 ~ You Save: $2.79 (20%)

Backstory 2 : Interviews With Screenwriters of the 1940s and 1950s ~ Ships in 2-3 days
Pat McGilligan (Editor) / Paperback / Published 1997
amazon.com price:: $14.36 ~ You Save: $3.59 (20%)

Backstory 3 : Interviews With Screenwriters of the 1960s ~ Ships in 2-3 days
Patrick McGilligan (Editor), Pat McGilligan / Hardcover / Published 1997
amazon.com price: $45.00

The Elements of Screenwriting : A Guide for Film and Television Writers ~ Ships in 2-3 days
Irwin R. Blacker / Paperback / Published 1996
amazon.com price: $7.96 ~ You Save: $1.99 (20%)

Film Scriptwriting : A Practical Manual ~ Ships in 2-3 days
Joye R. Swain, Dwight V. Swain / Paperback / Published 1988
amazon.com price: $38.95

Getting Your Script Through the Hollywood Maze : An Insider's Guide ~ Ships in 2-3 days
Linda Stuart / Paperback / Published 1993
amazon.com price: $11.96 ~ You Save: $2.99 (20%)

Good Scripts, Bad Scripts : Learning the Craft of Screenwriting Through 25 of the Best and Worst Films in History ~ Usually ships in 24 hours
Thomas Pope, et al / Paperback / Published 1998
amazon.com price: $11.20 ~ You Save: $2.80 (20%)

How to Sell Your Screenplay : The Real Rules of Film and Television ~ Ships in 2-3 days
Carl Sautter / Paperback / Published 1992
amazon.com price: $11.96 ~ You Save: $2.99 (20%)

How to Write a Selling Screenplay : A Step-By-Step Approach to Developing Your Story and Writing Your Screenplay by One of Today's Most Successful scr ~ Usually ships in 24 hours
Christopher Keane, et al / Paperback / Published 1998
amazon.com price: $11.20 ~ You Save: $2.80 (20%)

How to Write a Story...Any Story : The Art of Storytelling : A Directed Approach to Writing Great Fiction ~ Ships in 2-3 days
Michael B. Druxman / Paperback / Published 1997
amazon.com price: $11.95

How to Write It, How to Sell It : Everything a Screenwriter Needs to Know About Hollywood ~ Ships in 2-3 days
Linda Palmer / Paperback / Published 1998
amazon.com price: $11.96 ~ You Save: $2.99 (20%)

The Insider's Guide to Writing for Screen and Television ~ Usually ships in 24 hours
Ron Tobias, Ronald B. Tobias / Hardcover / Published 1997
amazon.com price: $12.59 ~ You Save: $5.40 (30%)

Making a Good Script Great ~ Usually ships in 24 hours
Linda Seger / Paperback / Published 1994
amazon.com price: $10.36 ~ You Save: $2.59 (20%)

The New Screenwriter Looks at the New Screenwriter ~ Usually ships in 24 hours
William Froug / Paperback / Published 1992
amazon.com price: $12.76 ~ You Save: $3.19 (20%)

Screen-Writing Tricks of the Trade ~ Ships in 2-3 days
William Froug / Paperback / Published 1992
amazon.com price: $8.76 ~ You Save: $2.19 (20%)

The Screenwriter Looks at the Screenwriter
William Froug / Paperback / Published 1991
amazon.com price: $14.36 ~ You Save: $3.59 (20%)

Screenwriters on Screenwriting : The Best in the Business Discuss Their Craft ~ Usually ships in 24 hours
Joel Engel / Paperback / Published 1995
Our Price: $11.16 ~ You Save: $2.79 (20%)

The Screenwriting Life : The Dream, the Job, and the Reality ~ Ships in 2-3 days
Rich Whiteside / Paperback / Published 1998
amazon.com price: $11.16 ~ You Save: $2.79 (20%)

Script Planning : Positioning and Developing Scripts for TV and Film ~ Usually ships in 24 hours
Tony Zaza / Paperback / Published 1993
amazon.com price: $26.36 ~ You Save: $6.59 (20%)

Story : Substance, Structure, Style, and the Principles of Screenwriting ~ Usually ships in 24 hours
Robert McKee / Hardcover / Published 1997
amazon.com price: $22.40 ~ You Save: $9.60 (30%)

Story Sense : Writing Story and Script for Feature Films and Television ~ Ships in 2-3 days
Paul Lucey / Paperback / Published 1996
amazon.com price: $21.25

The Tools of Screenwriting : A Writer's Guide to the Craft and Elements of a Screenplay ~ Ships in 2-3 days
David Howard, et al / Hardcover / Published 1993
amazon.com price: $16.07 ~ You Save: $6.88 (30%)

Top Secrets : Screenwriting ~ Ships in 2-3 days
Jurgen Wolff (Editor), Kerry Cox (Editor) / Paperback / Published 1993
amazon.com price: $17.56 ~ You Save: $4.39 (20%)

West of Eden : Writers in Hollywood, 1928-1940 (Smithsonian Studies in the History of Film and Television) ~ Ships in 2-3 days
Richard Fine / Paperback / Published 1993
amazon.com price: $11.96 ~ You Save: $2.99 (20%)

The Whole Picture : Strategies for Screenwriting Success in the New Hollywood ~ Ships in 2-3 days
Richard Walter / Paperback / Published 1997
amazon.com price: $10.36 ~ You Save: $2.59 (20%)

Writer's Guide to Hollywood Producers, Directors, and Screenwriter's Agents
Skip Press / Paperback / Published 1997
amazon.com price: $18.40 ~ You Save: $4.60 (20%)

The Writer's Journey : Mythic Structure for Storytellers and Screenwriters ~ Ships in 2-3 days
Christopher Vogler / Paperback / Published 1992
amazon.com price: $18.36 ~ You Save: $4.59 (20%)

Writing Docudrama : Dramatizing Reality for Film and TV ~ Ships in 2-3 days
Alan Rosenthal / Paperback / Published 1994
Our Price: $23.96 ~ You Save: $5.99 (20%)

Writing Great Characters : The Psychology of Character Development in Screenplays ~ Usually ships in 24 hours
Michael Halperin, Ph.D. Michael Halperin / Paperback / Published 1996
amazon.com price: $15.96 ~ You Save: $3.99 (20%)

Writing Screenplays That Sell ~ Ships in 2-3 days
Michael Hauge / Paperback / Published 1991
amazon.com price: $12.00 ~ You Save: $3.00 (20%)

Writing Short Films : Structure and Content for Screenwriters ~ Usually ships in 24 hours
Linda J. Cowgill / Paperback / Published 1997
amazon.com price: $15.96 ~ You Save: $3.99 (20%)

Writing Treatments That Sell : How to Create and Market Your Story Ideas to the Motion Picture and TV Industry ~ Usually ships in 24 hours
Chi-Li Wong, Kenneth J. Atchity / Paperback / Published 1997
amazon.com price: $11.96 ~ You Save: $2.99 (20%)

Zen and the Art of Screenwriting : Insights and Interviews ~ Usually ships in 24 hours
William Froug / Paperback / Published 1996
amazon.com price: $16.76 ~ You Save: $4.19 (20%)

Online Resources

Screenwriters Online
resources, interviews with screenwriters, online classes
http://www.screenwriter.com

Screenwriters' Resource Center
http://www.screenwriting.com/

The Script Shop
here you can purchase Hollywood screenplays
http://www.scriptshop.com/

The Screenwriters Utopia
weekly newsletter, online classes, submissions wanted
http://www.screenwritersutopia.com

greatscripts.com
producers, development executives can access writers' original work; password protected
(membership required)
http://www.greatscripts.com

Spec Screenplay Website
writing tips, interviews, chat rooms, products. articles
www.hollywoodlitsales.com

Screen Connect
connecting producers and screenwriters
(membership required)
http://www.screenconnect.com

Screenwriter's Room
provides inexpensive screenplay consultations to unrepresented screenwriters
www.screenwritersrm.com

The Screenwriting Spot
recommended readings, FAQ's, links to screenwriter sites, other screenwriting resources
www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Screen/9770

Done Deal
The latest news on script and pitch sales in Hollywood 
http://www.scriptsales.com/

Screenplay Competitions

Chesterfield Competition
The Chesterfield Film Company
Writer's Film Project
1158 26th St. Box 544
Santa Monica, CA 90403
213-683-3977
Awards: $20,000 annual stipend/internship program.
http://www.chesterfield-co.com

Columbus Screenplay Discovery Awards
433 N. Camden Drive, Ste. 600
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
http://screenwriters.com/ccs/index.html

Martha's Flavor Fest Script Competition
Martha's Flavor Fest, Inc.
14 Kling Street
West Orange, NJ  07052
212-726-2179
cmpnyc@email.msn.com
http://www.marthasflavorfest.com/

Mass Film Office Screewriting Competition
Massachusetts Film Office
Ten Park Plaza, Suite 2310
Boston, Massachusetts 02116
617-973-8800
film@state.ma.us
http://www.magnet.state.ma.us/film/

Nicholl Fellowships
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
8949 Wilshire Boulevard
Beverly Hills, CA 90212
http://www.ampas.org/ampas/academy/nichollindex.html

Scriptapalooza
7775 Sunset Blvd. Suite 200
Hollywood, CA 90046
323-654-5809
spalooza@aol.com
www.scriptapalooza.com

Sundance Screenwriters Lab
Sundance Institute
225 Santa Monica Blvd., 8th Floor
Santa Monica, CA 90401
310-394-4662
Award: participation in a Sundance Institute writer's lab.
http://www.sundance.org/feat_inf.html

Walt Disney Studio Fellowship Program
Program Director
Walt Disney Studios
500 S. Buena Vista St.
Burbank, CA 91521-1735
818-560-6894
Award: One year salaried work at Disney.

Writers Network Screenplay Competition
The Writer's Network
289 S. Robertson Blvd., Suite 465
Beverly Hills, CA 90211
310-843-9839