My Story Can Beat Up Your Story: Ten Ways to Toughen Up Your Screenplay from Opening Hook to Knockout Punch

More than twenty years ago, Jeffrey Alan Schechter arrived in Hollywood with the dream of making it as a screenwriter. His dedication — not just to writing, but to learning what makes a good story — paid off and Jeff became a million-dollar screenwriter, story doctor, and rewrite artist.

This book offers a systematic approach for aspiring and working writers that has earned the author millions in script sales and writing assignments.

My Story Can Beat Up Your Story is the same powerful, easy-to-learn system that industry insiders have used to generate millions of dollars in script sales and assignments. In a clear, step-by-step fashion, this book is a fun, eye-opening, brain-expanding, and often irreverent guide to writing stories that sell. Covering everything from heroes to villains, from theme to plot points, from cooking up good ideas to a business plan for smart writers, this book forever eliminates that horrible feeling every writer goes through — staring at the blank page and wondering “what comes next?”

“It’s easy to write a script. It’s hard to write a good one. But after reading My Story Can Beat Up Your Story, Jeff proves it’s not impossible. As a working writer Jeff has seen all sides of the creative process and has systematically broken down the development steps to their most simple and basic form: how a good story is born. He not only shows you examples of what makes a good story, but lays out the steps and provides you with the invaluable tools to build a better one. Humans have been telling stories ever since we stood upright. What will separate your script from all the others is the internal creative fire that only you can keep lit. Consider this book the first spark.”
— Jason Blumenthal, producer, The Pursuit of Happyness, Seven Pounds, and Knowing

“Screenwriting is an art, and Jeff Schechter conveys both the craft and soul of the trade. A gifted teacher, he provides methods which will help you both structure and elevate your best ideas.”
— David Sacks, executive producer, writer, Malcolm in the Middle, The Simpsons