Genre books

klas

klas

Active member
Does anyone here have any tips of books dealing exclusively with genres. I've been looking for a book about this for a while but haven't find any. Even though I enjoy the process of finding genre specific topics by reading scripts and watching movies, of the genre I'm currently writing in, a book about this would be neat.

There are plenty of screenwriting books out there but I have never found one that goes into the depths of different genres. I guess there ought to be one though... :huh:
 
As for a book about the various genres, I don't know of any, but there are some that focus on one specific genre at a time.

For example, if you're writing fantasy, you might want to check out this one:

http://www.amazon.com/Writing-Fanta...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1246245478&sr=1-1

It is not as deep and complex as something like Robert McKee's Story, but is still a worthwhile read for anyone who desires to write a fantasy script (a lot of the concepts could also apply to science fiction and horror scripts with fantasy elements).

While not specifically screenplay-oriented, these science fiction writing books from Writer's Digest are pretty good too.

Aliens and Alien Societies
http://www.amazon.com/Aliens-Societ...=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1246245643&sr=1-2

World Building
http://www.amazon.com/World-Building-Science-Fiction-Writing/dp/158297134X/ref=pd_sim_b_1

Time Travel
http://www.amazon.com/Time-Travel-Writers-Science-Plausible/dp/0898797489/ref=pd_sim_b_6

Space Travel
http://www.amazon.com/Space-Travel-Science-Fiction-Writing/dp/0898797470/ref=pd_sim_b_1


Some other ones:

Writing the Thriller Film
http://www.amazon.com/Writing-Thril...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1246245764&sr=1-1

Writing the Action Adventure Film
http://www.amazon.com/Writing-Action-Adventure-Film-Moment/dp/0941188396/ref=pd_sim_b_2

I haven't read every single one of these, so I can't say whether they are all worthwhile. Of the ones I've read, the Time Travel, Aliens Societies, and World Building ones from Writers Digest are all good. I also really dug Writing the Fantasy Film.
 
Damn, I was all set to buy a set but they did not have horror. I wish they would expand their genres. I like what I saw for the other genres.

Kyle-- how about starting a thread to create a horror genre plot points guide? Good practice for a book on writing horror I think you talked about doing if I recall. Otherwise, I contacted storycharts.com about this, hoping they will create a horror / horror-thriller-mystery set of charts, and asked them to notify me.

kylekmd said:
Something I stumbled onto a few months back. Not a book, but a set of GENRE charts.
https://www.storycharts.com/
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linter said:
yeah, kyle, what randall said: horror!
Click to expand...

I would love to work on a thread here about structuring horror, which I feel can sometimes be a bit different than other genre structures. Not a lot different, but different in some ways. Sometimes the outer goal in a supernatural horror reads a bit different.

For example, take the recent hit movie Taken. Clear structure, clear inciting incident, clearn Central Question (CQ). Daughter of Protagonist is taken, will he rescue her? Classic kidnap/rescue/retrieve story plot. Central Question is crystal clear at ~25%.

But for supernatural horror-thrillers, the CQ is often less action/physical as with Taken, more a CQ of the mind-- solve a mystery, discover odd events and what they mean. Does the CQ for a supernatural horror need to be crystal clear at 25%? Maybe. Probably best if it is possible. I would just like to discuss this, see how it holds true for produced scripts. I am starting the reading of a new script today, a produced supernatural horror-- A Haunting in Connecticut (soon to be released on DVD); I am going to pay attention to its plot points, clarity and location in the timeline of its inciting incident and central question.
~randall
 
I have a HORROR STRUCTURE DVD coming out in probably 6 months.

It details a plot-point/sequence hybrid specific to Neo-Horror (films since 2000).

Sorry for the delay. But it's extremely hard to write screenplays and produce a DVD tutorial and work my day job. I'm moving as fast as I can.:)

Kyle
 
Okay, everybody here mail Kyle a pound of highly caffeinated coffee beans. Mass quantities of bean juice can keep anybody going!
~randall

kylekmd said:
I have a HORROR STRUCTURE DVD coming out in probably 6 months. ... But it's extremely hard to write screenplays and produce a DVD tutorial and work my day job. I'm moving as fast as I can.:) Kyle
Click to expand...
 
Thanks guys, many good replyes here. Any one that've managed to buy something from storycharts.com?
 
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