A great little book. It's not particularly original, in fact a lot of advice may seem like common sense. But what makes this book a handy guide is that it's designed for the enthusiastic amateur preparing to be professional. It's not just full of boring lists of agents to write to, but nor is it a guide on HOW to write. Instead, the book assumes that you are actively writing and ready to commit to your writing full time. Using often contradictory statements from 20 or so regularly employed Hollywood screenwriters, the book discusses various strategies for writing, honing your craft, and ultimately forging ahead with a career.

This is not a writing manual, and obviously it's focusing on the niche market of mainstream Hollywood screenwriting. If you only want to write quirky short films for festivals, you should be aware of that. Yet, most of the information still applies to any would-be professional, and I appreciate the fact that the book doesn't take one direct approach. Some writers work best in the morning, others at night. Some writers believe in hacking through a first draft and writing 9-to-5, others write in tiny segments when they feel it. Your style is your style; this book is merely another weapon in your arsenal. ( )

If you're into movies, screenplays, and the oft-unglamorous process of writing good stories, then The 101 Habits Of Highly Successful Screenwriters by Karl Iglesias is a lot of fun. The book is formatted like a mixed Q&A with a number of noted Hollywood screenwriters offering their tips and tricks on the actual creative part of the trade. There are generic questions like "How many hours or pages do you write per day?" or "How do you combat writer's block?" and there are also many specific questions as well.

Being a writer can often seem mundane to an outsider, but personally I think it's the normal routines that feed the creative soul. In the words of Stephen King, "We put our pants on, one leg at a time, like everyone else." ( )

Interviews with 14 screenwriters, arranged by subject. The result reads like a panel discussion, touching on such subjects as collaboration, schmoozing, discipline, Hollywood, and story pitching.