<div>Acclaimed USC screenwriting teacher David Howard has guided hundreds of students to careers in writing for film and television. Drawing on decades of practical experience and savvy, <i>How to Build a Great Screenplay</i> deconstructs the craft of screenwriting and carefully reveals how to build a good story from the ground up. Howard eschews the "system" offered by other books, emphasizing that a great screenplay requires dozens of unique decisions by the author. He offers in-depth considerations of:<br><br>* characterization <br>* story arc <br>* plotting and subplotting <br>* dealing with coincidence in story plotting<br>* classical vs. revolutionary screenplay structure <br>* tone, style, and atmosphere <br>* the use of time on screen<br>* the creation of drama and tension <br>* crucial moments in storytelling<br><br>Throughout the book, Howard clarifies his lessons through examples from some of the most successful Hollywood and international script-oriented films, including Pulp Fiction, American Beauty, Trainspotting, North by Northwest, Chinatown, and others. The end result is what could very well become the classic text in the field---a bible for the burgeoning screenwriter.<br></div>