Author Description

Introduction / by Barbara Morgan -- 1. Inspiration. A conversation with Randall Wallace -- 2. Story. What makes a great story: a conversation with Bill Wittliff; Steven Zaillian on where the story originates; Peter Hedges on crafting story; Lawrence Kasdan on story and theme -- 3. Process. A conversation with John Lee Hancock; Sacha Gervasi on getting started; The basics with Nicholas Kazan; Advice from Bill Wittliff; Anne Rapp's writing routine; Caroline Thompson's writing process; Lawrence Kasdan on the challenges of writing -- 4. Structure. Structure and format: a conversation with Frank Pierson, Whit Stillman, Robin Swicord, and Nicholas Kazan; Caroline Thompson on structure; Lawrence Kasdan on the rules of script formatting; Visual storytelling: a conversation with John August, John Lee Hancock, and Randall Wallace -- 5. Character and dialogue. Building characters and mapping their journeys: a conversation with Lawrence Kasdan and Anne Rapp; Nicholas Kazan on writing characters; Crafting characters: a conversation with Lawrence Kasdan; Dialogue and finding the voice: a conversation with John August and John Lee Hancock -- 6. Rewritng. Writer's block: a conversation with Bud Shrake and Bill Wittliff; Bill Wittliff on when to let something go; Steven Zaillian on defining scenes: what to keep in, what to leave out; Anne Rapp on keeping writing fresh; Nicholas Kazan's rewriting process; On rewriting: a conversation with Daniel Petrie Jr., Peter Hedges, and Sacha Gervasi; Lawrence Kasdan on how to know when you're done -- 7. Collaboration. A conversation with Steven Zaillian; Peter Hedges on collaborating; Lawrence Kasdan on writing with a partner; Randall Wallace on working with other writers -- 8. Go forth.