About the Book:

Got ten minutes? Write your script. At last, leading Hollywood screenwriting instructor Pilar Alessandra shows everyone who's ever wanted to write a screenplay how to do it – without quitting their jobs or leaving their families. Packed with over sixty 10-minute writing tools, The Coffee Break Screenwriter keeps it focused and keeps it simple. Her friendly but practical approach is useful for those working 9-to-5 jobs, or at home with kids, who have trouble finding the time to sit down and write. Now, you can make real progress on your scripts with only ten minutes of stolen time.

The Coffee Break Screenwriter gives you guidance and tips at every stage of the often intimidating writing process with a relaxed, "ten minutes at a time" method that focuses your writing and pushes you forward. At each step, Pilar Alessandra encourages you to "Take Ten" and tackle an element of your scripts using the templates and practical tools provided. "What You've Accomplished" sections help you review your progress. And "Ten Minute Lectures" distill and demystify old-school theory, allowing you to unblock, outline, finish pages, and keep writing. Plus, advice from working writers on how to use your time more efficiently!

This second edition of The Coffee Break Screenwriter updates examples and pitch templates and adds television to the mix, helping you to write your TV pilot as quickly and efficiently as your screenplay.

What people say:

"As close as you can get to taking a screenwriting class. For busy people juggling career and a home life and putting off writing a script – you have no more excuses. This is the help you've been waiting for." — Andrea McCall, Head of Story, DreamWorks SKG

"Open this book to any page right now and read one of the lessons… If you tell me you didn't have at least a minor epiphany about how to make your script better, you're lying." — Carl Ellsworth, writer – Red Eye, Disturbia, Red Dawn

"This is the book I needed when I first moved out to Hollywood – a nuts and bolts approach to screenwriting and the world around it. It will take you from talking about writing a screenplay to actually doing it." — Garrett Donovan, writer/executive producer – Community, Scrubs

"Pilar's curriculum was invaluable in taking me from a novice screenwriter to a member of the Warner Bros Writers' Workshop to a staff writer on a critically acclaimed show. I trust Pilar's tools and methodology implicitly. Her knowledge of story, structure, and process is masterful." — Charmaine DeGraté, writer, CW's The 100; Warner Bros. Television Writers' Workshop Fellow

"This book teaches you how to turn a brilliant idea into a tangible product. Whenever I sit down to write something substantial, I refer to my crumpled-up, old Pilar notes." — Ben Mekler, head writer, Nerdist Industries

"A truly invaluable guide for crafting story for the screen. Pilar has an incomparably clear, concise, and proven approach to writing, which makes this book a must-have resource." — Melissa & Winston Rauch, writers, The Bronze

"Pilar Alessandra's screenwriting techniques are among the most valuable I've ever come across. She takes a systematic approach to every step of the process, carefully guiding the writer from concept to final draft." — Chris Sparling, writer, Buried

"Pilar's methods are easy to understand, effective, and empowering. I wish I could have Pilar sitting next to me every time I write." — Christy Stratton, co-executive producer, Awkward, Raising Hope, King of the Hill; co-producer, Hope and Faith

About the Author:

Pilar Alessandra has helped thousands of screenwriters write and develop their feature and television scripts. She's worked as Senior Story Analyst for DreamWorks and Radar Pictures and has trained writers at ABC/Disney, MTV/Nickelodeon, the National Screen Institute (NSI), the Los Angeles Film School, The UCLA Writers Program, and more. Her students and clients have written for The Walking Dead, Lost, House of Lies, Nip/Tuck, and Family Guy. They've sold features and pitches to Warner Bros., DreamWorks, Disney, and Sony, and have won the prestigious Nicholl Fellowship, Austin Screenwriting Competition, and Warner Bros. TV Writing Workshop.