Kill the Dog

The First Book on Screenwriting to Tell You the Truth

By: Paul Guyot

Narrated by: Paul Guyot

Length: 7 hrs

Publisher's summary

Kill the Dog is the first book on screenwriting written by an actual working professional screenwriter. Award-winning screenwriter Paul Guyot exposes the lies other screenwriting books have told, and presents authentic, essential instruction and motivation for anyone wanting a career as a professional screenwriter. This book provides all the answers, from what producers and studios actually want, to what makes one screenplay better than another, to why so many have been doing it wrong for so long. The author takes us inside the exclusive members-only world of professional screenwriters, from television writers rooms to meetings with producers and studio executives, to facts about formatting, structure, craft, art, and voice.

Every aspect of screenwriting is covered with an authority and credibility never seen in any book to come before. Told with honesty, humor, and vulnerability from the real-world perspective of a working, professional screenwriter, Kill the Dog reveals the secrets of what it takes to have a successful career as a Hollywood screenwriter.

©2023 Domestique Inc. (P)2023 Domestique Inc.

Truth shall set you free

Must read for screenwriters especially aspiring ones. Informational, impactful and motivating. Guyot bravely lifts the curtain as a true screenwriting professional

Experienced wisdom full these pages

This book spoke to me in a way that few others have. After consuming numerous books on the subject I found myself feeling a bit overwhelmed. Kill the Dog eliminated the barrier and after reading it I wrote my first scene. My thanks to Paul Guyot!

The Only Book on Screenwriting to Bring Me To Tears

And that’s a compliment. Guyot writes with confidence and authority. Where I’ve got a higher opinion of some of the other screenwriting books out there, specifically Lew Hunter and Hal Ackerman’s books, who emphasize that function drives form (as opposed to the books that always seem to be the ones that get popular with studio executives), Guyot has his hands coiled around the heart of screenwriting. The guy who taught me meditation used to always begin with, “Connect to the juice.” Here’s where this book shines. Connecting to the juice. The emotional content of the story. The blood and tears and fearless vulnerability required to write an electrifying screenplay. The writing.

Very Refreshing

Kill The Dog is practical advice for writers. It comes straight from a long time Hollywood writing veteran and is filled with real stories from the trenches.

The Last Book on Screenwriting!

Read this … you’ll never have to read another.
Quite outstanding! Bravo Mr. Guyot! Take a bow … and thank you.

Excellent Book

Appreciated Paul’s straightforward take on screenwriting from his own experiences. He is refreshingly blunt about the way it is and his advice is invaluable. Highly recommend.

Welcome, refreshing and persuasive.

I recommend without reservation. You will learn much that is valuable and provocative. Many “I wish I’d known” moments.

Thank you!

This book has set me free! You have validated my intuition about writing that I have managed to ignore for years. Now I can have fun writing again and produce work I’m proud of instead of trying to be an engineer and hate everything I write, not to mention hate writing period.

Truth presented with love

I have listened to many books on writing and story structure and I am glad I did before listening to this one. Everything in this book hits the target for all writers who find the placement of beats, scenes and plot shifts much more fluid than what all those books try to teach. I am not a screenwriter but I am a writer and storyteller. This book is validation for me. It tells me it is ok to go my own way and be totally in the story and let the characters interact with each other truthfully. Thank you. I never listen to a book more than once. I will make an exception with this one. It is inspiring. And honest.

Absolutely liberating!

I can’t begin to tell you how meaningful and explosively powerful this book is. After trying to write and being restrained by all the “rules” I’m thankful to Paul for telling the truth and just setting the record straight. I can’t wait to read the other books he recommended as well as writing with a New perspective. A must read for anyone who wants to become a screenwriter or any writer for that matter.