Screenwriting Tip #99Voice-over usually feels like scaffolding. You know-something you left in there when you were constructing the first draft, but really should have torn out after it served its purpose.

Screenwriting Tip #120Always remember that funny trumps everything. Your script could be written in crayon with your name spelled wrong on the cover, but if it's genuinely funny, none of that matters.

Screenwriting Tip #156The easiest way to write kick-ass protagonists is to make them incredibly good at what they do.

Confused at the outline stage? Stuck in the swamp of Act Two? Don't know who your protagonist is or where she's going?

You might feel like a hack. But don't worry-you're not alone. Even the most experienced writers feel like this at times. Sometimes we just need a few short pointers and reminders to set us on the path again.

Xander Bennett worked as a script reader in the trenches of Hollywood, reading and covering hundreds of mediocre screenplays. After months of reading about heroic Sea World trainers, transgendered circus detectives and crime-fighting chupacabras, he couldn't take it any more. Xander started a blog called 'Screenwriting Tips, You Hack', a place designed to provide short, witty tips on screenwriting for amateur writers all the way up to journeymen scribes.

This book is the evolution of that blog. Dozens of the best scripts (along with many brand-new ones) have been expanded into bite-sized chapters full of funny, insightful, highly usable advice. Let Xander's pain be your gain as you learn about the differences between film and television structure, how to force yourself to write when you really don't want to, and why you probably shouldn't base your first spec script around an alien invasion.

About the Author
Xander Bennett is a screenwriter and has been a Hollywood script reader. Frustrated by the quality of the screenplays he was reading as a script reader, he started his blog, Screenwriting Tips.You Hack, as a snarky diatribe. The blog now delivers a tip per day and is the home of the online script reading service, Hack Notes. Bennett has written for television, videogames, role-playing games, and comics, and is the author of a 2008 graphic novel.

Reviews

"Bennett's pointers cover all aspects of the writing process, beginning with the mental preparation necessary before you ever put pen to paper, or, fingers to keyboard. He then leads us through the full arc of drafting, revising, polishing, and ultimately pitching and selling your screenplay. Like most screenwriters, Bennett is well-versed in pop culture, and his movie references are a geek's delight...Unless of course, you're too much of a geek, and you notice that his reference to Rocky III teaching us that there's no easy way out actually refers to Rocky IV. Hair-splitting aside, Bennett's easy-to-apply screenwriting tips can only improve your writing."--MoviePie

"I've never written a screenplay, but I still believe that Xander Bennett's Screenwriting Tips, You Hack, has made me a better writer. I'm not being facetious here; Bennett's book has given me a much better appreciation for techniques of screenwriting and helped me ask questions about how I write my still-non-screenplay work."--review on DGSwartz.com

"Screenwriting Tips, You Hack elaborates upon close to 200 tips from the popular micro-blog that's now under the umbrella of The Black List. These great tips are compiled into helpful chapters on outlining, characters, ideas, rewriting, etc., which makes the book great for referencing when you've hit a particular roadblock in your writing. It also features a ton of helpful real-life examples, from Top Gun and Forrest Gump to Groundhog Day and Breaking Bad. Bennett's experience as a reader definitely informs his effective prose, but the book is filled with suggestions as opposed to complaints. Screenwriting Tips, You Hack is definitely a book that can help you think about your script in a new way - or help you get started on your first script!"--AspiringTVWriter.blogspot

"The book is an informative and easy read, but what makes it special is that it appears that every point that can be thought of was thought of and presented. Not only is the advice given sound, there is also support of each point. The way it was written was part of its charm. I found it very amusing and I can honestly say that I learned a few things that I will employ in my future screenplays. If you are a screenwriter, this book is a useful tool with advice that you can take and see how it applies to you and how you write and produce. If you are not a screenwriter, you can learn a great deal about the field and learn a lot about the process. I highly recommend this book."--Newzbreaker.com

"At the top of the top, I found Screenwriting Tips, You Hack; A snarky, witty, to-the-point tip-of-theday written by Xander Bennett. If you're not familiar with Xander and his daily dose of screenwriting gold, you've been missing some of the simplest screenwriting instruction that the internet has to offer. There are some fantastic long form blogs that go into the weeds of writing or pull back the curtain on the process or chronicle the journey of a struggling writer - and I love all of these and still read them - but what I've really grown to appreciate about Screenwriting Tips is that it is short and to the point. In one sentence Xander can highlight a common mistake, provide and example and offer a solution. That's not easy to do. That's why his blog is a must read."--SteamMyScript.com

"Just got my complimentary copy in the mail. Great book. I'd say that even if I hadn't gotten mine for free. Screenwriting Tips, You Hack. 150 Practical Pointers For Becoming A Better Screenwriter by Xander Bennett. It's a VERY useful book. Not as useful as mine, of course, but damn close. Plus, it has an index, which mine does not! He was a reader in Hollywood for a good while. Long enough to know the ins and outs of the business, not long enough to go insane. I am requiring the book for my screenwriting students, and that is a VERY short list."-YourScreenplaySucks.wordpress.com

"Are you a screenwriter looking for a magic 8 ball of insider tips and tricks of the trade? Do you feel like a hack? Then you should check out Xander Bennett's hilariously insightful Screenwriting Tips... You Hack: 150 Practical Pointers for Becoming a Better Screenwriter. The book, an evolution of Bennett's infamous screenwriting tips blog, offers tweet-sized tidbits of priceless writing advice for writers at any stage in their career or writing process. "--TribecaFilm.com

There's something fundamentally Promethean about this book. Xander has delivered fire from the mount in dangerously usable form. It will light the way safely for screenwriting newbies and seasoned veterans alike.-Franklin Leonard, Founder and CEO, the Black List

More than just hundreds of practical tips to improve your screenwriting, Screenwriting Tips, You Hack gives you priceless insight into the mind of Hollywood's gatekeeper: the script reader. You would be wise to heed these words!
-Scott Myers, Writer (K-9), host of GoIntoTheStory.com

Xander Bennett-a guy who clearly knows his way around the trenches of Hollywood-explains screenwriting in an incredibly helpful way. A masterful work, his book makes me want to dive back into the script I'm working on because I now have powerful new arrows in my writing quiver.-William M. Akers, author of Your Screenplay Sucks!

Xander Bennett provides the kind of writing advice that tickles my black, ugly heart: it is equal parts hilarious and practical, punching you in the throat with a fistful of poignant screenwriting advice. This is one to keep next to your computer as you write.-Chuck Wendig, author of Blackbirds, dispenser of writing advice at Terribleminds.com

Xander Bennett has succeeded where many before him have failed (looking at you, Aristotle), managing to condense centuries of storytelling wisdom into clear, insightful, tweet-sized chunks of brilliance. A great primer for hacks of all stripes, and anyone in the business of telling better stories. -Matt Mason, author of The Pirate's Dilemma: How Youth Culture is Reinventing Capitalism

This is one of the best books on screenwriting I've ever read, and I wouldn't change a thing. It's well-written, easy to read, brimming with insightful advice, conversational and very funny. -Eve Honthaner, author of The Complete Film Production Handbook and Hollywood Drive: What it Takes to Break in, Hang in & Make it in the Entertainment Industry

I'm in love with this format-bite-sized tips for our bite-sized culture. Each tip had me frothing at the mouth to open up a current project and put it into practice.-Jeffrey P. Nesker, filmmaker, www.ocularnutrition.ca

Book Information
ISBN 9780240818245
Author Xander Bennett
Format Paperback
Page Count 224
Imprint Focal Press
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 362g