Tierno, Michael. Aristotle's Poetics for Screenwriters: Storytelling Secrets from the Greatest Mind in Western Civilization.(Book Review)(Brief Article)

Hyperion. 2002. c.192p. ISBN 0-7868-8740-0. pap. $13.95. COMM

Writer, director, and story analyst Tierno of Miramax Films has devised a clever approach to screenwriting. With a generous nod to the classics--Aristotle's Poetics, that time-tested advice to the dramatist--and his own expertise in writing for cinema, Tierno successfully blends the ponderous with the popular to create a unique guide for screenwriters. Each chapter begins with advice on a specific topic quoted from the Poetics. Tierno elaborates on this advice by demonstrating how to achieve unity of structure, dialog that adheres to the story, realistic details, and believable, identifiable …