Which Lie Did I Tell?

Veteran Hollywood screenwriter William Goldman's sequel to Adventures In The Screen Trade is every bit as good as its illustrious predecessor. Part memoir, part screenwriting lesson, Goldman's book is everything that his readers have come to expect--opinionated, chatty, digressive and (most importantly) honest. Goldman is utterly distrustful of the Hollywood machine and with good reason: as he warns fellow screenwriters, "Most studios are planning on firing you as soon as you hand them your first draft." As the writer of numerous hits including Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Marathon Man and Misery, few people are better placed to offer an insider's view of the film industry, and even fewer could be so entertaining in the process.

The way Goldman tells it, screenwriting is an unstable business at best. Yet his enthusiasm is evident in practically every sentence and his advice on writing is invaluable for those who would follow in his Oscar-winning footsteps. Throughout the book, Goldman offers numerous insights into his creative process, culminating in the final third of the book with an original script, followed by the critical comments of other top screenwriters. However, this is not just a great read for budding writers-Goldman's tales about Hollywood are so compelling that even the most casual film fan will be fascinated by this world in which, as the author has famously maintained, "nobody knows anything". --John Oates

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