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Writing the Romantic Comedy: From "Cute Meet" to "Joyous Defeat": How To Write Screenplays That Sell
by
Billy Mernit
From the slapstick shenanigans of Hepburn and Grant in Bringing Up Baby to the sexy repartee of Shakespeare in Love, romantic comedies have delighted filmgoers -- and challenged screenwriters -- since Hollywood's Golden Age. Whether you're a first time screenwriter, or an intermediate marooned in the rewriting process, this thoroughly charming and insightful guide to the b...more
Paperback, 304 pages
Published
July 31st 2001
by Harper Perennial
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Love this book. But then I also love old romantic comedies and wish Katherine Hepburn was still around! That said, it's a great book for giving you insight into the romantic comedy genre. I don't even think you have to be a writer to enjoy it. Some of the behind the scenes info into movies like When Harry Met Sally and Tootsie are really very good. Plus, it's so well written that it's fun to read no matter what your reason. If you're a writer - all the better as, unlike some books on writing, th...more
Overall: A great book for a wannabe Rom-Com script writer
This book was recommended to me whilst I was on a three-day script writing course. I was fairly new to script writing (still am) and this book is definitely at my level. It's a great introduction to the art of writing a good romantic comedy. It was useful examples and is easy to understand.
It's not that easy to get a copy of this book (at least in the UK) so I'd get one while it's still available!
This book was recommended to me whilst I was on a three-day script writing course. I was fairly new to script writing (still am) and this book is definitely at my level. It's a great introduction to the art of writing a good romantic comedy. It was useful examples and is easy to understand.
It's not that easy to get a copy of this book (at least in the UK) so I'd get one while it's still available!
Jun 05, 2011
Londonmabel Mabel
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
writers romance
Recommended to Londonmabel by:
Jennifer Crusie
Shelves:
lit-writing,
2own-nonfiction
If you write romantic comedy, even novels, this is a great book on dialogue, sex scenes, pacing etc. His chapter on theme was the best I've read from any book on writing. He also analyzes a few movies, which was helpful, and I like his 7 point plot structure. I highly recommend it, and would suggest supplementing it with the Popcorn Dialogue podcasts by Jennifer Crusie and Lucy March (Lani Diane Rich.)
Best book you will ever pick up if you have a love for the romantic comedy/drama genre. It's not just "boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl," it's so much more than that.
A very readable, engaging book, more broad than deep.
I took Billy Mernit's class at UCLA and later, bought this book but never read it. It's basically the class in book form. It can't hurt if you are interested in the romantic comedy but it won't change your life.
Thus far the my favorite screenwriting book. I'm not saying the best, but certainly my favorite. Although it focuses on the romantic comedy, it has content applicable to all genres.
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