What Happens Next

A first work of non-fiction by screenwriter Marc Norman, Academy Award winner for Shakespeare In Love, What Happens Next is a factual and personal look at the history and future of American screenwriting: where it’s been, where it is, and where it’s going. Filled with personal stories, changing fashions, and heaps of movie-title dropping, it was a really interesting book that was both engaging and fascinating.

From nineteenth century vaudeville stage and theatrical performances to the sophisticated cinema screen creations of today, the screenwriters have always (though other professions may not care to admit it) been at the helm of the ship. From humble beginnings to sometimes-miserable ends, screenwriters have contributed as much to history as any natural disaster or politician. What Happens Next is a fascinating journey back in time that looks at where screenwriting began, what fashions fuelled its evolution, its dangers and vulnerabilities, and where it might be headed. A very good piece of non-fiction.

What I particularly enjoyed about this book was the many levels that it worked on. Straight from the off, it’s a history book so it’s undoubtedly going to be filled with facts, dates, names, and important historical eras such as times of War and the Golden Age. But the way that the book is written is really interesting because it does not take on that dry, lecture-like tone that many history books tend to adopt. The book reads more like a rant that is powered along by sophisticated words and better grammar use than the rants of today, which makes the book easier to read as you can almost hear how it’s meant to be read. Just like having a heated discussion with someone face to face. So from a storytelling point of view, the book succeeds in being very engaging and keeping the attention of the reader.
From a historical point of view, the book was just so interesting because it went into detail and dealt with a subject matter that is often overlooked and neglected. I mean, when you think about movies, you automatically can rattle off the names of the actors, actresses, the director, the producer, and maybe even the composer if you focus more on the films’ soundtrack. But funnily enough, hardly anyone thinks about the people who made the film really possible: the screenwriters. Whether it be original stories or adaptations of already existing works, the screenwriters are the ones who create it all. They see the film first, they put the words in the actors’ mouths, and they invent the technologies that appear on the screen. It was really amazing to read that the people to whom we owe the entire cinema experience were treated the most poorly and often passed over and not given credit for their ideas at all. Political battles existed and still exist over screenwriters gaining recognition for their work! Seriously, some of the events that this book delves into are completely unheard of, making the book all the more entertaining and gripping a read.
Filled with political battles, war, personal stories, postmodernism, youth, technology, and evolution, What Happens Next was a really fascinating book that opened my eyes to the darker side of the movie business. It’s a wonderful sneak peek of what happens behind closed doors and I simply could not put it down.