Part one: the writer within -- Toward self-mastery -- The creative act -- A realm of conception -- Realm of expression -- Creativity and the writer -- Inner critic -- Perfectionism -- Writer's block -- The writing life -- Part two: the craft of visual storytelling -- The writing process -- Story-Character-Plot -- Visual storytelling: the scrrenwriter's Task -- Visual language: mise-en-scene and montage -- Script format -- Rapid-writing -- Theme and premise -- Conflict- the essence of drama -- Treatment as a writing device -- Step outline -- The first draft -- The classic dramatic structure -- Characters and cast design -- Plot problem and the big question -- world of the story -- Case study: Ingmar Bergman's Fanny & Alexander -- Mythic structure -- Toward the Final draft -- Troubleshooting the structure -- Genre -- Subplots -- Scenes -- Archetypes -- Dialogue as verbal action -- Critical feedback -- Writing exercises -- Autobiography -- writing journal -- Dream journal -- Picture and ideas file -- Instant story -- Overcoming writer's block -- Two writer's journeys