Word by Word: An Inspirational Look at the Craft of Writing

The most consistently strong part of the book is the screenwriting section. In it, Mike Scully talks about "honest" jokes and writing for The Simpsons. Ron Howard describes how writing for the screen, more than any other type of writing, is "an ongoing process of fielding input, fielding ideas." Ron Bass (My Best Friend's Wedding) claims that, for a writer, "insecurity is necessary." Barry Kemp (Newhart) describes how he "casts" a room of writers. And James Orr (Three Men and a Baby) offers countless insider tips on getting a spec script looked at. Ignore his advice and your script may end up in a very soggy circular file. "People think pools are for swimming," he says, but "they're where you throw the scripts. One of the secrets of southern California." --Jane Steinberg

Bloomsbury Review
A great addition to a writer's or a reader's library