Calling All Screenwriters

Right. So I love to write. I have loved to write for as long as I could remember and I think it goes hand in hand with my love of reading. While I have fiddled around with different types of writing, one avenue that I always found interesting was screenwriting. That, of course, comes from my love of movies. [I am a complete pop culture freak as you can see.]
Screenwriting is different from other kinds of writing because of the focus on all things visual. I can't stress that enough. You only write what you see. You cannot say:

Michael got in the car and turned on his headlights. He 

began driving towards Lori's house when his phone rang.

Why not? Because how do I know he was driving towards Lori's house? Even if the previous scene had him telling a friend, "I'm going to Lori's house now," you still can't put it in the description. Instead you must just say that he got in the car and pulled out and blah blah blah - what do I see.
Interesting, right? I love it.

I have read quite a few articles and books on screenwriting and my favorite book BY FAR has been Lajos Egri's The Art of Dramatic Writing.

This is a book that was recommended to me by a man that worked in "the business" for over 50 years. Apparently its highly regarded in many writer circles. Lajos Egri writes from the perspective of a playwright but I wouldn't brush it off on that fact alone. No matter if you are a playwright, novelist, or screenwriter, I am sure that this book would work wonders on your thinking as a writer.

Screenwriting is a profession that has many many rules. From what I can gather from this book, playwriting does as well. What makes writing so amazing, however, is the pushing of the boundaries. This means finding your creativity in a rigid formula of how to write. It seems claustrophobic but it is freeing. Once you understand the basic rules of how to space it, how to present dialogue, inserts, descriptions, extensions, transitions, shots, and all the do's and dont's that come with the Hollywood club, it's up to you to make it work.

The Art of Dramatic Writing is not a screenwriting book. Once again, Egri does not tell you the rules, so if you don't know them you will need to find another way to find out. The book does tell you how to make sense of your ideas of writing in a way that's enlightening and attractive. I found myself carrying this book around to read on the subway or in between classes. Just for kicks.

~Ferdinando