I've run into the problem as a new writer (who isn't going back to school) where I feel the need to keep reading every single resource possible so that my writing doesn't come off as amateurish. Every time I read one book that leaves me excited and brimming with ideas and knowledge, I haven't been feeling the hunger to write, but instead to pick up another book or watch another hour-long video or listen to a podcast.

I think this is the book I will point to when I think I realized I've got the basics down. There are other books that talk and think about screenwriting at a higher level, and while this book does have a lot of good insight (The checklists at the end of each chapter will be a useful tool for rewrites, earning it a spot right next to my desk), it does seem like a lot of meat-and-potatoes insight. It sounds harsh but I can't imagine someone writing a script that is even "good" if this book was a revelation to them. Identifying what a conflict "is" feels like a failure of the American public school education.

That said, the concept of the book is solid and is always loops back to how to check over what you just wrote and make sure it all works. Useful to have around.