REEL PEOPLE by Howard M. Gluss Ph.D.

This is one of those hidden gems I wish more people would talk about.  It's essentially a list of characteristics of "unusual" or "abnormal" personality types with clear examples taken from films, to give the writer an idea of what ticks, habits, and tendencies a certain character might have.


But it's much more than that.  This reads like an easy-to-digest medical book on various personality disorders.  It's well-written, well-researched, and just really interesting and enjoyable.

To purchase this book, click below:

http://sh.st/mDUAc

And if you're an armchair psychologist, or you're just really curious about people, this book gives some great insights and alternative possibilities that you probably never considered before.
You may even learn a few things about yourself too.
Highly recommended.

COOKED by Jeff Henderson

I really wanted to enjoy this book.  I really really really wanted to.  Mostly because it's a wonderful true uplifting story of a black man who, as a teenager, got into dealing drugs and making tons of money, and not lacking in the female-adoration department. 
Then, as a Young man, he got caught and sent to prison.


What is uplifting about this story is that, while locked up, instead of falling further down the rabbit hole of crime, he learned how to cook, and how to do it well.  And then...  well, perhaps you should read it for yourself to find out.

To purchase or download the book, click below:

http://sh.st/mS5lR

It's heartening to read a story of perseverance like this, it's just that I had a small issue with the writing style.  The author is also a public speaker in schools, and I suspect that his book was written in his voice, as in how people spoke on the street in his time, and how he perceives the world now.   I found the style to be a little jarring, and I found it difficult to concentrate on the story because I felt a lack of flow in his sentences and storyline.
Nevertheless, it's one to give a shot.

CREATIVE SCREENWRITING: Understanding Emotional Structure by Christina Kallas

This is not a sexy book.  Even just by looking at the cover, there is nothing seemingly attractive or 'good' about this book.  It's filled with dense paragraphs, no pictures or illustrations or graphs, there is no humour or ironic phrasing to put you more at ease, and the opening chapter starts with a detailed observation of Aristotlean writing, including some quotes in Greek.


I tried to read that damn first chapter more than a dozen times.  And every time, it felt like more gibberish was piling in my already over-burdened mind.

To purchase the book click below:

http://sh.st/mSXf0

But after 2 years of it sitting on my shelf, collecting dust, I was about to throw it out when I randomly opened it somewhere towards the back, and was immediately engrossed in the author's analysis of the ending of the chapter.  She includes numerous exercises, (admittedly I haven't done half of them), but the other half that I took the time to work on really opened my flow of creativity.
This woman knows what she's talking about.


As the ideas and exercises are built up on the preceding chapters, I found myself going back a few pages, then a few more, then a few more, until I decided this was ridiculous and went back to the beginning.
I still can't digest her Aristotlean musings, but the rest of the book, although grey, and densely packed with information, detailed analyses of produced films, and possible interprétations, is fascinating.


This is definitely not for a beginner screenwriter: but if you have a few thousand pages under your belt, I HIGHLY recommend this book to broaden your horizons.

SCENE OF THE CRIME by Anne Wingate Ph.D.

Anne Wingate may have a Ph.D. (in what I'm not quite sure) but she doesn't manage to convey any useful information in her book.  I'm sorry I wasted my time on it.

To purchase or download this book, click below:



http://sh.st/mjRbQ

Frankly, I don't know how this book got 4 stars on Amazon out of 21 reviews.  There was nothing useful about how a crime looks from an investigator's POV apart from the fact that dead bodies smell really bad, and in the cheaper motels, should there be any blood spilled, the spot in the carpet is cut out (instead of the entire carpet being replaced in the room).
That's it.  That's all I got.  Everything else was so glossed over, I felt like I had more information from watching CSI on tv. 
I'm reluctant to judge the other books in this series based on this one bad apple, but it's left a really bad taste in my mouth.

CREATING UNFORGETTABLE CHARACTERS by Linda Seger

This is the first book I've read by Linda Seger.  I bought it because her name comes up in almost any other how-to-write book I've read in the recent months, so I thought I would look into her work more deeply, as she's quoted so often in other works.

To purchase or download the book, click below:

http://sh.st/mjm68



While I think she is a good writer, and she obviously has extensive experience in working in film and television, giving concrete examples of the problems one could come across as a writer, I nevertheless felt like I wasted two days of my life reading this.

To me there was nothing new, no different point of view, no brand new aspect of how to solve a writing problem - even with the concrete examples she provided, the book overall felt very generic, like something I would have gotten at a free course provided by a community center.

Even though Ms Seger gives examples of interviews with other writers (holding their own extensive experience), I got the feeling this was more of a general 'here's what can happen in the movie business and especially Hollywood' book rather than 'if you come across this issue in character development, you might consider...' book.

Personally, this was a disappointment, and I won't be rushing out to buy any more of her books.

Who knows, maybe she is a very good lecturer/public speaker.

The WAR of ART/TURNING PRO/DO the WORK by Steven Pressfield

I decided to group these three books together because, well, they just go together.


The War of Art is the one I would suggest starting with:  it is a theoretical kick in the butt not only for writers and other types of artists, but for anyone who just wants to start SOMETHING.  A business, a fitness plan, a hobby, really anything - because, according to Mr Pressfield, we all have to fight Resistance, our enemy #1.

To purchase or download the book, click below:

http://sh.st/n24Lj

The book breaks down all our fears into bite-sized chapters of two or three pages, and really makes you think about why you haven't started whatever it was you've been promising yourself to start for the past decade or two.


The second book in the series kicks you (harder) in the butt, and explains vividly what and how you should pull up your socks and buckle down.  Spoiler alert:  you must work to become a pro!

To purchase or download the book, click below:



http://sh.st/n25WO

The third book in the series is one I would say is the least useful - it is more of a summary of the first two, and easier  to skim through when you need a quick boost.  I definitely feel that this book doesn't stand alone;  if you haven't read the first two, you probably won't get much out of this third one.

To purchase or download this book, click below:

http://sh.st/n2551

Do you need all three?  No.  But you do need the first two.  And after you've read them, you won't have any excuses left to keep procrastinating!





SPIDER BONES by Kathy Reichs

Spider Bones starts off promisingly:  There is a suspicious death (of course) and it looks like either murder or a somewhat bizarre take on erotic games.




Unfortunately, that's where the excitement ends for me.  While the premise is interesting - a body is found of a man who apparently was determined to be dead forty years before - and it takes us to exotic climes (Hawaii) and there is an interesting subplot with Dr Brennan's daughter and the on-off relationship with a detective - all the interest I had got lost in trying to keep track of names and connections between characters who never even make an appearance in the story, only through dialogue spoken by the main characters.

To purchase or download the book click below:

http://sh.st/n2YEb

I think the only book I truly enjoyed of Kathy Reichs' was the first one; after that it seems to me that she takes some jargon, throws in a couple of 'common language' words like "thingy", and has Dr Brennan respond to situations more like a teenager would ("All righty then" and "Okey-dokey") instead of a professional woman, that it feels like she knows her job is difficult and her work vocabulary complicated so she attempts to come down to my level - and ends up talking down to me.


I appreciate that she uses humor when she can, especially when dealing with a subject like death, but with Kathy Reichs it seems forced. 


There are better writers with medical degrees who manage to clarify a situation without using unnecessarily difficult words while not talking down to the reader.


I got very frustrated with the pace of the story and the language used, (including breaking the fourth wall), that I doubt I will be reading any of her upcoming books.  But if you're looking for a light beach read, give this a go.

INVISIBLE INK by Brian McDonald

Don't let the thin spine and small number of pages fool you.  Brian McDonald is a straight-shooter and economical with his words - but the ones he uses are suprisingly visual; his examples are on the money, and with each new paragraph I had a lightbulb go on above my head.

To purchase or download a copy, click below:

http://sh.st/n2LVg

You definitely need prior knowledge of writing.  This is a book aimed at writers who have a few thousand pages under their belts, but for some reason feel stuck at the pivotal points in their stories. 

Highly recommended, I re-read it once a month to keep me on track.

HOW NOT TO WRITE A SCREENPLAY by Denny Martin Flinn

For any aspiring screenwriter, it is beneficial not only to read 'how to' books, but also 'how NOT to' books.  This one is well-written by someone who has experience in screenwriting, who writes passionately about the art, and, very important, gives clear examples from real produced screenplays of how to do it - and examples from the ones that never made it, on how NOT to do it.

To purchase or download the book, click below:

http://sh.st/n2O16

The author's manner of writing is direct but doesn't seem overbearing, and he comes across as talking a friend over coffee and sharing some tips, rather than a master talking down to his ignorant pupils.

It would be helpful to already have some knowledge of how to write screenplays;  this is certainly not a starting block, but more of an added flavour to your multi-layered cake of acquired knowledge.  It really pointed me to some mistakes I was making in my own writing, and I feel all the more grateful for the information that I otherwise would have had to learn by tedious trial and error.

Definitely recommended.



THE BLIND GODDESS by Anne Holt

Even though the story starts out bloody on the first page, this is a quiet thriller, but nonetheless a page-turner.


Anne Holt manages to make us imagine and feel for even the smallest characters, even if they appear only for two pages before being killed off.  I was a bit apprehensive at first that there were so many characters and (to me, foreign) names to keep track of, but she introduces each one with enough detail to make them memorable, but without overloading the images unnecessarily.

To purchase or download the book, click below:



http://sh.st/n2Ohw

The different storylines, althouth separate at first, merge together seamlessly and the author manages to keep the suspense high, even while describing innocuous and innocent scènes.


If you enjoy a good thriller without too much blood, but with a good dose of realism, give this a go.  Anne Holt was a lawyer and she deftly brings her knowledge into the story without burdening us with unnecessary jargon just for the sake of showing off.