Tales from the Script: 50 Hollywood Screenwriters Share Their Stories

The interviews with the screenwriters and writer/directors is very insightful and eye opening about how things work in Hollywood. If you know anything about how the writing process works in Hollywood and how writers are treated and looked at this book isn't going to be shocking or that eye opening but it's still informative and entertaining.I've been out there working for producers and have seen the treatment of writers first hand so I very much related to everything said, described, and related upon.If you want to be a screenwriter but don't know how Hollywood treats writers (screenwriters that is) and what they are thought of AND what the development process is and what it does to scripts, including how you or any writer may be rewritten by one, two, or twenty writers.Very insightful, informative, and entertaining, this book is a a great read for any aspiring or working screenwriter whot wants to know what they don't regarding Hollywood's view of us writers. Even if you're working and produced you'll probably enjoy this, because you'll probably be able to relate.A great variety of talented writers are interviewed and it's an easy, quick, concise, read.

I was completely surprised by this book. I'm just an average movie-goer and I had never heard of most of the people that were interviewed. It's an unusual paradox. These are some of our society's favorite writers, yet almost nobody knows who they are."Tales from the Script" provides thoughtful interviews with an impressively broad group of writers that ranges across a huge number of films from "Alien" and "X-Men" to "Taxi Driver" and "The Shawshank Redemption". The truth behind the curtain is funny and insightful.It's a shame that the actors and directors steal all of the limelight!

The author does a fine job of collecting various interviews with successful screenwriters who explain the in's and out's of the struggles and (occasional) triumphs of being a Hollywood hack. You'd be forgiven if you walked away from this book discouraged, as nearly every writer goes to great depths to explain just how difficult it is to sell your script. Nevertheless, this book does give some helpful advice and is an entertaining read to anyone who may be thinking about moving into this field of work.

You can have a great studio, great director, great set, great camera angles, but if you don't have it on paper first, you don't have anything.

The comments of each screenwriter are extremely brief. Not enough to get much help to me as a writer. I was hoping for more depth.

I ordered this book for daughter Karis who wants to be a director and screenwriter and simply loves this book. She said she enjoys the honesty and comedy as screenwriters tell their real story as they journeyed through life to fame. She loved reading about their true life struggles and shortcomings before everything came into place.

I swallowed the book whole. It was so good I wanted more and watched the documentary. There is a lot more in the book and it's all good. It dramatically increased my enthusiasm for the script I'm working on.Confession: I know one of the authors. That's why I bought it, but not why I loved it.

Exactly what I needed!

This is an excellent and sobering antidote to the 'yeah you can do it!' school of screenwriting books. Writing scripts borders on delusion and this book tells you how it is (from actual writers rather than self-appointed gurus) without diminishing what a great medium it is to write in.

A must read

The majority of the interviews were insightful into the various writers' methods of working within, and dealing with the capricious nature of writing for film in, Hollywood.

Full of interest

Light, but entertaining.