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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: £11.01 / Used from: £4.82
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: £8.46 / Used from: £9.00
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: £4.70 / Used from: £2.91
Plays where nothing happens and yet everything happens.
Writing Dialogue for Scripts (Writing Handbooks)Writing Dialogue for Scripts (Writing Handbooks) by Rib Davis
Buy used from: £7.50
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: £6.31 / Used from: £4.09
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: £26.60 / Used from: £13.11
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 DramaThree Uses of the Knife (Diaries, Letters and Essays): On the Nature and Purpose of Drama by David Mamet
Buy new: £8.30 / Used from: £7.00
A bit steep in price considering it's length but a good read.
Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting: A Step-by-Step Guide from Concept to finished ScriptScreenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting: A Step-by-Step Guide from Concept to finished Script by Syd Field
Buy new: £7.47 / Used from: £5.79
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 used from: £10.22
Even more dramatic structure. A bit hard-going.
Sarah Kane: Complete Plays (Methuen Contemporary Dramatists): Blasted; mPhaedra's Love; Cleansed; Crave; 4.48 Psychosis; SkinSarah Kane: Complete Plays (Methuen Contemporary Dramatists): Blasted; mPhaedra's Love; Cleansed; Crave; 4.48 Psychosis; Skin by Sarah Kane
Buy new: £11.08 / Used from: £6.50
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: £11.89 / Used from: £8.54
This is dialogue at its best.