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Books I Have Read That Have Improved My Writing
William Shakespeare: The Complete Works (Oxford Shakespeare)William Shakespeare: The Complete Works (Oxford Shakespeare)
Buy new: £11.89 / Used from: £8.59
Drop quotes into conversation and appear intelligent.
The Complete Dramatic Works of Samuel BeckettThe Complete Dramatic Works of Samuel Beckett by Samuel Beckett
Buy new: £10.99 / Used from: £7.99
Complete opposite of Shakespeare but equally challenging.
Plays: "Ivanov", "The Seagull", "Uncle Vanya", "Three Sisters", "The Cherry Orchard" (Penguin Classics)Plays: "Ivanov", "The Seagull", "Uncle Vanya", "Three Sisters", "The Cherry Orchard" (Penguin Classics) by A.P. Chekhov
Buy new: £2.20 / Used from: £1.76
Plays where nothing happens and yet everything happens.
Writing Dialogue for Scripts (Writing Handbooks)Writing Dialogue for Scripts (Writing Handbooks) by Rib Davis
Buy new: £8.39 / Used from: £4.00
Helpful in crafting realistic dialogue.
Novelist's Essential Guide to Crafting Scenes (Novelists Essentials)Novelist's Essential Guide to Crafting Scenes (Novelists Essentials) by Raymond Obstfeld
Buy new: £3.78 / Used from: £7.91
Not just for novels. Useful in fleshing out scenes in screenplays.
Script Analysis for Actors, Directors, and DesignersScript Analysis for Actors, Directors, and Designers by James Thomas
Buy new: £16.96 / Used from: £18.19
Hard going but makes you examing your own writing a lot more.
Three Uses of the Knife (Diaries, Letters and Essays): On the Nature and Purpose of Drama (Diaries, Letters and Essays)Three Uses of the Knife (Diaries, Letters and Essays): On the Nature and Purpose of Drama (Diaries, Letters and Essays) by David Mamet
Buy new: £6.09 / Used from: £3.99
A bit steep in price considering it's length but a good read.
Screenplay: The Foundations of ScreenwritingScreenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting by Syd Field
Buy new: £4.11 / Used from: £5.49
A classic. There are lots of books like this, read until structure is what you bleed when cut.
The Power of the Playwright's Vision: Blueprints for the Working WriterThe Power of the Playwright's Vision: Blueprints for the Working Writer by Gordon Farrell
Buy new: £6.27 / Used from: £6.13
Even more dramatic structure. A bit hard-going.
Sarah Kane: Complete Plays (Methuen Contemporary Dramatists) (Contemporary Dramatists)Sarah Kane: Complete Plays (Methuen Contemporary Dramatists) (Contemporary Dramatists) by Sarah Kane
Buy new: £7.19 / Used from: £13.57
This changes everything.
Plays: "Duck Variations", "Sexual Perversity in Chicago", "Squirrels", "American Buffalo", "The Water Engine", "Mr.Happiness" Vol 1 (Methuen World Dramatists)Plays: "Duck Variations", "Sexual Perversity in Chicago", "Squirrels", "American Buffalo", "The Water Engine", "Mr.Happiness" Vol 1 (Methuen World Dramatists) by David Mamet
Buy new: £14.24 / Used from: £3.90
This is dialogue at its best.