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“Why Does the Screenwriter Cross the Road? is both smart and smart ass. It takes an unusual long-range approach to screenwriting that is irresistible.”
— CHARLIE RUBIN, Writer: Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Seinfeld, In Living Color.

“"If you are writing, thinking about writing, or rewriting a script, buy this wonderful book. It will help you write your best movie" 
- JACQUELYN REINGOLD, Writer & showrunner: The Good Fight, In Treatment, Grace & Frankie. 

"The most complete and honest book about the process of screenwriting I’ve ever read. It will inspire you guide you, and galvanize you to write the screenplay you’ve always wanted to write.” 
- MICHAEL PRESSMAN, Emmy Award winning director & showrunner: Chicago Med,  Blue Bloods, Law & Order.

What makes a good story?

Good stories are effective because they make an emotional connection to an audience. Sometimes that audience is large, sometimes it’s small. But a story must appeal to somebody.  After decades of writing and teaching, I have come upon an approach that works for many writers. It has served me well as a screenwriting professor since 1999 with hundreds of students at NYU and other institutions.

YOU ALREADY KNOW!
You’ve been watching movies and TV all your life. So you already know many of the basic principles of dramatic writing. You also know what you enjoy and admire in your favorite films. Story Rescue helps apply your intuitive knowledge to the ages-old principles of dramatic writing. You already know that a story is a character who struggles with problems that lead to a significant change that they never understood before... RIGHT?

If this is how you experience stories, then read on. If you think writers just sit down and write a screenplay, then definitely read on. 

SCREENPLAYS AREN'T WRITTEN--THEY'RE BUILT
The deliberate, purposeful and thoughtful arrangement of a story is what makes a good script good. But even after over 100 years of movie development, you still need to write a script, otherwise our scripts would simply be storyboards. But dramatic writing is not like cabinetry. There is no universally correct method. But like cabinetry, the pieces must fit together to make the work strong. There are fundamental principles of craft that we can follow in order to create a dramatic story; a story that does what it needs to do—excite and engage the audience. This audience also includes actors, directors and producers.

ART v. COMMERCE
Believe it or not, your script can be artistic AND commercial. Somehow, a myth has developed that these two qualities are in opposition. Some of the most commercially successful scripts are also the most artistic. This runs the full spectrum from “Dumb & Dumber” to “Chinatown” to “Breaking the Waves” to “The Sopranos” and long running sitcoms like “Friends.”

WHO NEEDS STORY RESCUE?
If you've had previous training in any type of writing, including college level writing programs, professional writers workshops or had your work produced or presented(even non-professionally) then Story Rescue is right for you. If you've never written before or if you've never trained in a writing program or writers group, we recommend that you learn the basics first before working with Story Rescue. 

​Find out how Story Rescue can work for you! 
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