Rating: 
Summary: fun to read, yet ultimately lacks weight
Review: As a screenwriting instructor, students are constantly asking me the "secrets" of making a million in Hollywood. Krevilin's book focuses on the reality of Hollywood today. This is an excellent resource for all aspiring screenwriters as well as instructors in need of content-rich reference material.
Rating: 
Summary: Buy this book!
Review: As a screenwriting instructor, students are constantly asking me the "secrets" of making a million in Hollywood. Krevilin's book focuses on the reality of Hollywood today. This is an excellent resource for all aspiring screenwriters as well as instructors in need of content-rich reference material.
Rating:
Summary: Scholarly information buried in a great story
Review: Here's a copy of an email I sent the author, Mr. Krevolin. (His email address is in the book!!)Hi. I met you when you spoke at the University of Central Oklahoma (UCO) as> a part of your 'National Book Tour'. I'm the one who wanted to add to your 'Bizarre Hollywood' stories with my 'Bizarre Oklahoma' story. I told you how I got Hollywood interested in my musical "Hormones, Hormones, Hormones" by performing for gynecologists in a Oklahoma City church. ??? Of course the story may violate the Evelyn Krevolin rule of screenwriting by being too bizarre to believe, but I swear it happened. It seemed to illustrate your admonishment to writers to 'get their stuff out wherever they are'!! Your talk at UCO was so encouraging, I could hardly resist buying your book that night, but I held out. Hey, cash is short for writers. Also I have finally concluded that I cannot read books and write books all at the same time. And for heaven's sake, I'm trying to 'Write'!! Besides, I keep buying books that are nothing but the same boring information over and over. The same stuff I was forced to endure in my Master's program. I figure completing a Master's degree is about all the boredom a human being can be expected to endure in one lifetime. Besides, my bookshelf is way too full of scholarly, but unread books already. Well anyway, back to your Book Tour. I was so impressed with your presentation that I brought a friend to the OKC writer's group the next day. Once again, the enthusiasm of your presentation was contagious. After experiencing it for the second time, I broke down completely and actually shelled out the cash for a copy of "Screenwriting from the Soul". I expected to add it to the other writing books that sit on my book shelf, scanned, but 'Unread. Well, was I ever wrong. The book is NOT on my shelf, and its NOT unread. Its FANTASTIC and I love it. You have conveyed what could be a lot of very boring information in an entertaining, and even touching way. By opening my heart with a story you have filled my brain with information. I was up all night with what reads like a novel, but is also essential information. Its not just another boring list of the rules of writing. And its not another recitation of the reasons it can't be done. Its a story well told. I love your characters and can hardly wait to read what they have to say next. By opening my heart with a story that I 'want' to hear, you have reached my brain with the information I 'need' to hear. Stuff I could have learned from one of those books on my shelf or in some boring Master's class if except I kept dozing off. I admire the risk you took by writing about the moral aspirations of writers too. There are plenty of people here in the heartland and probably even more in Hollywood who would call that corny, but even the most hardened curmudgeon has a soul somewhere. And in our souls we all need to believe in something. Thank you for writing about it. It takes an excellent writer to write from his soul to mine and to make me like it. If the book had not been well written, it would have been sentimental which is even worse than corny (ask Evelyn). "Screenwriting from the Soul" is extremely well written. Somehow you have taken an informative text and set in an exciting novel. I am touched by your insight and encouraged by your enthusiasm. Keep up the good work. Janis
Rating:
Summary: Scholarly information buried in a great story
Review: Here's a copy of an email I sent the author, Mr. Krevolin. (His email address is in the book!!) Hi. I met you when you spoke at the University of Central Oklahoma (UCO) as> a part of your 'National Book Tour'. I'm the one who wanted to add to your 'Bizarre Hollywood' stories with my 'Bizarre Oklahoma' story. I told you how I got Hollywood interested in my musical "Hormones, Hormones, Hormones" by performing for gynecologists in a Oklahoma City church. ??? Of course the story may violate the Evelyn Krevolin rule of screenwriting by being too bizarre to believe, but I swear it happened. It seemed to illustrate your admonishment to writers to 'get their stuff out wherever they are'!! Your talk at UCO was so encouraging, I could hardly resist buying your book that night, but I held out. Hey, cash is short for writers. Also I have finally concluded that I cannot read books and write books all at the same time. And for heaven's sake, I'm trying to 'Write'!! Besides, I keep buying books that are nothing but the same boring information over and over. The same stuff I was forced to endure in my Master's program. I figure completing a Master's degree is about all the boredom a human being can be expected to endure in one lifetime. Besides, my bookshelf is way too full of scholarly, but unread books already. Well anyway, back to your Book Tour. I was so impressed with your presentation that I brought a friend to the OKC writer's group the next day. Once again, the enthusiasm of your presentation was contagious. After experiencing it for the second time, I broke down completely and actually shelled out the cash for a copy of "Screenwriting from the Soul". I expected to add it to the other writing books that sit on my book shelf, scanned, but 'Unread. Well, was I ever wrong. The book is NOT on my shelf, and its NOT unread. Its FANTASTIC and I love it. You have conveyed what could be a lot of very boring information in an entertaining, and even touching way. By opening my heart with a story you have filled my brain with information. I was up all night with what reads like a novel, but is also essential information. Its not just another boring list of the rules of writing. And its not another recitation of the reasons it can't be done. Its a story well told. I love your characters and can hardly wait to read what they have to say next. By opening my heart with a story that I 'want' to hear, you have reached my brain with the information I 'need' to hear. Stuff I could have learned from one of those books on my shelf or in some boring Master's class if except I kept dozing off. I admire the risk you took by writing about the moral aspirations of writers too. There are plenty of people here in the heartland and probably even more in Hollywood who would call that corny, but even the most hardened curmudgeon has a soul somewhere. And in our souls we all need to believe in something. Thank you for writing about it. It takes an excellent writer to write from his soul to mine and to make me like it. If the book had not been well written, it would have been sentimental which is even worse than corny (ask Evelyn). "Screenwriting from the Soul" is extremely well written. Somehow you have taken an informative text and set in an exciting novel. I am touched by your insight and encouraged by your enthusiasm. Keep up the good work. Janis
Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining and Educational
Review: I found this book to be quite an enjoyable read. It is in the entertaining form of correspondence between a rather obnoxious aspiring screenwriter and a crotchety professor of screenwriting. Each letter from the professor reads as a mini-lecture, complete with exercises at the end of each letter. My only objection to this format is when the "student" replies with questions and with a completed exercise, the "professor" does indeed answer the questions, but does NOT criticize the student's submitted exercise, nor does he praise it. In other words, am I to assume the student's submitted exercise is a flawless example of Mr. Krevolin's teachings? I suppose that my coming from a background consisting of numerous creative writing workshops, I know that I learn from other peoples' mistakes and triumphs, and such feedback is not included in this book between the professor and student. I would have to say that is my only gripe, and it is not a major one. I would also like to say that Mr. Krevolin (the author of the book, not the fictional professor of the same name in the book) is quite kind and communicative. In the back of the book, he provided his e-mail address, stating that he would love to hear from his readers. I wrote him an e-mail with a question, and he kindly provided an answer within two hours.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining and Educational
Review: I found this book to be quite an enjoyable read. It is in the entertaining form of correspondence between a rather obnoxious aspiring screenwriter and a crotchety professor of screenwriting. Each letter from the professor reads as a mini-lecture, complete with exercises at the end of each letter. My only objection to this format is when the "student" replies with questions and with a completed exercise, the "professor" does indeed answer the questions, but does NOT criticize the student's submitted exercise, nor does he praise it. In other words, am I to assume the student's submitted exercise is a flawless example of Mr. Krevolin's teachings? I suppose that my coming from a background consisting of numerous creative writing workshops, I know that I learn from other peoples' mistakes and triumphs, and such feedback is not included in this book between the professor and student. I would have to say that is my only gripe, and it is not a major one. I would also like to say that Mr. Krevolin (the author of the book, not the fictional professor of the same name in the book) is quite kind and communicative. In the back of the book, he provided his e-mail address, stating that he would love to hear from his readers. I wrote him an e-mail with a question, and he kindly provided an answer within two hours.
Rating:
Summary: Expert Advice For the Aspiring Novice
Review: In Screenwriting From the Soul, the author, Richard Krevolyn, employs a classic, narrative technique for his teaching approach. In the tradition of Rilke's Letters to a Young Poet, Krevolyn takes the novice screenwriter, by hand, through the arduous processes of not only learning her or his craft, but of learning about themselves as well. As a student of The Cinema, Krevloyn's method is well-taken; if one lacks true knowledge of oneself, if one does not possess a moderate level of true life experience, aspiring she will remain. Better suited for the beginner; also lacks a detailed exemplification of format.
Rating:
Summary: Expert Advice For the Aspiring Novice
Review: In Screenwriting From the Soul, the author, Richard Krevolyn, employs a classic, narrative technique for his teaching approach. In the tradition of Rilke's Letters to a Young Poet, Krevolyn takes the novice screenwriter, by hand, through the arduous processes of not only learning her or his craft, but of learning about themselves as well. As a student of The Cinema, Krevloyn's method is well-taken; if one lacks true knowledge of oneself, if one does not possess a moderate level of true life experience, aspiring she will remain. Better suited for the beginner; also lacks a detailed exemplification of format.
Rating:
Summary: Great
Review: It's educational and entertaining. In the format of a student writing to a retired screenwriter. One of the very first books I read on screenwriting and one of my favorite. It doesn't give enough advise to be fantastic or help you a greast deal, but I give it five stars beacuse it's a great read. Don't put it as you're first read but as one when you find you interest weening.
Rating:
Summary: An entertaining effort, yet without much substance
Review: Krevolin writes a novel, entertaining book that is a fresh and original deeparture from the canon of almost indistinguishable screenwriting books. Yet for all Krevolin's philosophical brilliance, the book is fairly devoid of substance. This book should be read only after readers acquaint themselves with other, more enlightening works, such as Robert McKee's "Story" or Hauge's "Writing Screenplays that Sell."
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