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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: £11.04 / Used from: £10.00
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: £11.89 / Used from: £22.40
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 Anton Chekhov
Buy new: £5.99 / Used from: £2.80
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: £11.99 / Used from: £10.40
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: £11.69 / Used from: £4.38
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: £22.79 / Used from: £16.04
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: £9.49 / Used from: £7.28
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: £10.55 / Used from: £9.40
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: £10.98 / Used from: £6.00
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: £14.19 / Used from: £16.20
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: £7.95
This is dialogue at its best.