CS Weekly Archive > The Art of Craft
Working screenwriters discuss in their own words a particular aspect of screenwriting, from the mechanics of writing to the personal and professional impact that writing has had on their lives.

05/26/06 — "Everything I Needed to Know About Screenwriting I Learned from Watching American Idol," by Jim Mercurio

03/03/06 — "Form, Not Formula: Screenplay's Syd Field," by David Michael Wharton

06/10/05 — "One-Year Wonders: The Seven Best Cancelled TV Shows on DVD
(1999-2004)," by Jason Davis

05/06/05 — "Four Ways to Give a Crap," by Henry Jones

04/15/05 — "Writing the Ensemble Film Part Two: Why's the Gang All Here?" by Linda Cowgill

04/08/05 — "Writing the Ensemble Film Part One: The Gang's All Here," by Linda Cowgill

03/21/05 — "How Writers Defeat Themselves by Following Hollywood Trends," by Professor Richard Walter

10/22/04 — "The Art of Drama," by Linda Cowgill

10/01/04 — "Beyond Structure: A Technique-Based Approach to Screenwriting," by David S. Freeman

09/17/04 — "What a Screenplay Isn't," by Hal Ackerman

09/03/04 — "The Essence of Character," by Linda Cowgill

08/17/04 — "Truth, Meaning, Battle: A Hero's Power," by Lawrence Pruyne, Ph.D.

05/25/04 — "Emotions 101: Sad, Bad, Mad, Glad," by Rachel Ballon, Ph.D.

05/18/04 — "Using Dilemma to Improve Any Plot," by Jeff Kitchen

05/11/04 — "A Short-cut to Hollywood Success," by Linda Cowgill

04/20/04 — "The Sequence of Story," by Linda Cowgill

04/13/04 — "Made Man: How I Turned the Craft of Reporting Into the Craft of Screenwriting," by Nicholas Pileggi

04/06/04 — "In the Beginning Was the Word," by Catherine Clinch

03/30/04 — "On Approaching Character: the Circle of Being," by Syd Field

03/16/04 — "The Return of the King: How Story and Structure Won 11 Oscars," by Linda Seger

03/07/04 — "Production Discounts for CS Subscribers," by Catherine Clinch

From the Trenches
Working screenwriters discuss in their own words a particular aspect of screenwriting, from the mechanics of writing to the personal and professional impact that writing has had on their lives. > VIEW ARCHIVE

The Art of Craft
Screenwriting experts discuss how to approach various aspects of writing and the writing life. A mini-seminar each week from the people who write the books and teach the classes. > VIEW ARCHIVE

Expert Witness
A panel of experts assembled to provide the facts about the screenwriting business. Readers will be able have their questions answered by an agent, producer, entertainment attorney, and WGA representative—and without paying that 10% commission. > VIEW ARCHIVE

Son of a Pitch
A weekly tutorial on how to write a script. Each week deals with a different element of creating a script, with the ultimate goal to provide a step-by-step instruction manual for new writers. The guide for this is a writer just diving into screenwriting himself, who asks the pros questions any new screenwriter would have about this brave new world. > VIEW ARCHIVE

Weekend Read
Film, book, web site and technology reviews from a writer’s perspective. How can these items help a writer on his or her journey, or make that journey more enjoyable? > VIEW ARCHIVE

DVD Reviews
DVD reviews from a writer’s point of view. What aspects of this script and features of this DVD illuminate the writing, development, and storytelling process? > VIEW ARCHIVE