Contents -- Author's Preface -- PART I: PREPARING FOR A WRITING CAREER -- Chapter 1 The Screenwriter's Life -- Why We Write -- A 12-Step Program for a Writer's Life -- What's L.A. Got to Do with It? -- Chapter 2 Writing Teams -- The Creative Partnership -- The Business Partnership -- A Word about Loan-Out Companies -- PART II: STEP BY STEP THROUGH THE CREATIVE PROCESS -- Chapter 3 The Screenwriter's Work Process: From Concept to Script -- The Concept (or Premise) -- The Beat Outline and the Treatment -- The "Spec" Screenplay -- The "Spec" Teleplay -- Adaptations -- Other Media: Is a Screenplay Your Best Option? -- Chapter 4 The Art of the Pitch -- Preparing the Pitch -- Making the Pitch -- Chapter 5 Designing the Marketable Screenplay -- Part One: The Hollywood Film -- A Viable Premise -- A Dynamic Opening -- Characters We Care About -- A Balanced Structure -- "Reel" Dialogue (Movie-speak) -- A Cathartic Ending -- A Clear Narrative -- A Professional Screen Style and Format -- Rewriting -- Some Final Thoughts on Writing the Hollywood Film -- Chapter 6 Designing the Marketable Screenplay -- Part Two: The Independent Film -- Chapter 7 Securing the Rights (and Other Considerations) for Adaptations and True Stories -- Adaptations of Previously Produced or Published Work -- The Limits of Copyright: Public Domain -- Adapting True Stories -- Obtaining Releases or Acquiring the Rights to Life Stories -- Conclusion -- PART III: WHAT TO DO AFTER IT'S WRITTEN: THE SUBMISSION PROCESS -- Chapter 8 Protecting Your Work -- Chapter 9 Representation: Agents, Lawyers, Managers, and Guilds -- Agents: The Writer's Sales Force -- Entertainment Lawyers: Hollywood's Best-Kept Secret -- Literary Managers: Who Are Those Guys? -- The Writers Guild: A Safe Haven -- Chapter 10 Building a Writing Career: Strategies for Marketing Yourself -- Career-Building Strategies.

The ABC's of Producing It Yourself -- Chapter 11 The Marketplace -- Part One: The Players -- Part Two: The Markets -- PART IV: SELLING YOUR SCREENPLAY OR TELEPLAY -- Chapter 12 The Deals -- Part One: Feature Films -- Part Two: Television -- Chapter 13 What Happens After You Sell It? -- Chapter 14 A Writer's Notebook -- On the Writer's Life -- On the Work -- On the Business -- Six Laws of the Screenwriter's Career -- PART V: "FORGET IT JAKE, IT'S CHINATOWN" -- Chapter 15 ROCKY-A Case Study -- …a final note -- Suggested Reading -- Glossary -- A -- B -- C -- D -- E -- F -- H -- I -- L -- M -- O -- P -- R -- S -- T -- V -- Z -- Index -- A -- B -- C -- D -- E -- F -- G -- H -- I -- J-L -- M -- N -- O -- P -- Q -- R -- S -- T -- U -- V-Z.