About
the Book:
In The Coffee Break Screenwriter leading Hollywood script
consultant Pilar Alessandra taught writers how to outline
quickly, write efficiently, and rewrite creatively. It is the "go-to"
book for getting one's story on the page. But now that same writer
may be doing a final pass on a project, working with a producer, or
coming up with a new project only to be hit with ... RULES! Should
the writer respond to this random list of do's and don'ts pertaining
to structure, characters, dialogue, and formatting? Nope.
Who says you have to follow the screenwriting rules? In The Coffee Break Screenwriter
Breaks the Rules screenwriting instructor and script consultant Pilar
Alessandra reviews the so-called, unspoken "rules"
writers assume they should follow, discusses why they're there in the
first place, and then shows you ways to creatively break them!
Each "rule" of screenwriting has its own section
complete with examples of well known scripts. Each "rule"
that is addressed is punctuated with questions such as "Why it
Exists?", "Why Break It?" and "Who Broke it
Best?" Rules evaluated in The Coffee Break Screenwriter
Breaks the Rules: A Guide for the Rebel Writer include
those addressing:
1. Storytelling devices like flashback and voiceover.
2. Character rules such as empathy and backstory.
3. Dialogue faux pas such as "writing on the nose".
4. Structural issues such as nonlinear writing and act-break
placement.
5. Formatting sticking points involving emotion and visuals.
For every "rule" that's discussed, Pilar Alessandra
covers:
1. Why the rule exists.
2. Why writers should break the rule.
3. How writers can break the rule.
4. How breaking the rule can break bad (so break with care).
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.