Ive been writing fiction forever. How do u learn the formats for this kind of writing? Any good references any of u know of?

Hi IndianaJoan.

There are many books on the subject of formatting scripts, as well as purpose built software. One of the available software items worth looking at is called 'Scriptsmart' and is freely available from the BBC in the UK.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/scriptsmart/

There are several versions of it, including one for prose.

If you find those useful, you may want to try a fully fledged professional kit like 'Final Draft'.

http://www.finaldraft.com/purchase/?prod=fd

On that page there's also a Syd Field DVD. Anything at all by Syd Field would be worth the effort, he's very much an expert in Screenwriting.

I hope these are of use for you.

Joe

I believe there are several books on the topic at Amazon.com or you can try this:

When I was in Los Angeles I was interested in writing and shooting a short movie - my funds were a bit tight but I was interested in what was out there so I put up a posting at craigslist.com and a few other writing sites requesting treatments for short film scripts. My inbox was flooded in a day or two with tons of scripts and script treatments - I ended up working with one of the writers who had some really great stuff. It was really nice on that initial post to review several writer's works and see what was out there.

Now, you don't want to pirate work or be dishonest by leading on other writers but the ideas can springboard a few of your own plus you get the exposure to correct format etc.

Also, you can try Drew's Script-o-rama. It has tons of film scripts that you can peruse. Good luck, it's a great medium!

ZB

Also, Simply Scripts (http://www.simplyscripts.com/) for another place to peruse scripts, including some ones that I've heard of. See if you can't find some similar scripts, and look them over.

i mentor many aspiring screenwriters, so if you want format guides, a 'tools of the trade' list, info on the basics, tips from the pros, or writing help of any kind, just drop me an email...

love and hugs, maia
maia3maia@hotmail.com