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Sterling Norman Anderson is an award-winning, Emmy-nominated screenwriter of more than 20 years.
He has written for some of the most popular network television shows, such as The Unit on CBS, as well as NBC’s Medium and Heist. His teleplay The Simple Life of Noah Dearborn, written for CBS starring Sidney Poitier, received three Emmy nominations and won an Image Award. Sterling’s extensive resume also includes screenplays written for Lions Gate, Disney, HBO, TriStar Pictures and Columbia Pictures.
A graduate in English from St. Mary’s College, the accomplished writer also spent five years teaching screenwriting courses as an adjunct professor at the USC School of Cinematic Arts.
Sterling’s first book, Does He Cheat?, is a hair-raising, controversial expose on infidelity. He has written two books on writing, Writing Without Fear (2010) and Beyond Screenwriting (out on Kindle and releasing September 1, 2011 in paperback). The author often guest lectures and panels on screenwriting at film schools and festivals across the country.
Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Sterling spent his early childhood in Tuskegee, Alabama, before moving to Davis, California. He writes from Los Angeles today. His talents span far outside the world of writing. Sterling has a fifth degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do and was an award-winning winemaker in Napa Valley.
Reviewed by Lori M for Readers' Favorite
Although I Know absolutely nothing about screenwriting, this book grabbed my attention with its title, "Beyond Screenwriting: Insider Tips and Career Advice From a Successful Hollywood TV and Film Writer" by Sterling Anderson. When the book arrived, I ran the author's name through a search engine to discover some of the exciting work he's done for the television shows "The Unit" and "Medium" and other projects. This background gave him the credibility that made me want to read what he had to say on the subject. After all, as a writer myself, I would like to see one of my books turned into a movie or write a script for something. Anderson explains that he wrote this book to provide practical answers to questions as opposed to just spitting out his own beliefs and theories.
The book is very well-organized and structured to help the reader follow a logical approach to screenwriting as well as find any particular subject easily. It was interesting to learn about the 13/13 and 9/13 rules for television characters, which made sense once he pointed it out. It also made sense to avoid incidental characters and not give them dialog.
I like how Anderson is down-to-earth and provides common sense information, such as how screenwriting contests aren't the golden ticket to success and that television is the writer's medium as film is the director's medium. Whether you're interested in being a screenwriter or just want to know how it works, this book is a good read.
