Customer Reviews

The Art of Dramatic Writing

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This is the best book I've read on dramatic three-act writing. It goes beyond "conflict" to "premise" - how to encapsulate the struggle, the protagonist and the antagonist in a single sentence. It's pithy and inspiring. I can't believe I'm the first one to review it! Every writer, screenwriter and filmmaker should own a copy.

Having studied playwriting dialectics in college years ago, I found this "classic guide" to be a wonderful reminder of the basic tenets of storytelling. Many popular books on the subject written today tend to focus on screenwriting, and have an unfortunate tendency to speculate about what will and will not please industry insiders. Contrary to such books, Lajos Egri offers substantial bits of timeless advice (e.g., believe what you write and don't for a minute concern yourself about what industry insiders might think). The main through-line of the book, however, is a deeply held belief that premise and character fuel conflict and are indispensable to good writing. On these and other points, Egri is astonishingly clear and precise; which is a welcome departure from the airy ambiguities that degrade most discussions on the mechanics of art. This is a guide that works.

The book is an excellent source of information for writers of all skill levels. For writers who aren't fortunate enough to be able to take classes, this book is a great teacher. The amazing thing about the book is it demonstrates basics don't change over time since this book was written many years ago.

I won't go into the details but all I have to say is with every chapter I read, another light bulb would turn on. If you are a writer who understands that structure isn't the solution but just a guide then you will enjoy this book. After reading this you will want to pick up a few books about psychology because the more you know your character and how they think, your story will more naturally come out. It's a bit overwhelming sometimes because I felt like every chapter was gold and was taking vigorous notes but the last chapter summarizes everything perfectly in a couple pages. I wish Lajos Egri was still alive because I'm tired of people like Robert Mckee. This guy really knows what he's talking about.

When I decided to write a novel a couple years ago, I read "The Art of Dramatic Writing" by Egri, "How to Write a Damn Good Novel" by Frey, and "The Art of Fiction" by Rand.

All were useful, but my favorite by far was Egri.

John Christmas, author of "Democracy Society"

I've just written a play for a New York City festival that had two standing-room only performances (more than 225 people) and a standing ovation every night. I'm telling you that because if I hadn't read, re-read and used the ideas I learned in The Art of Dramatic Writing, it wouldn't have happened.

This is a great, great book for writers who are serious about their art. You will learn the importance of the premise, starting with the real definition of the word. Once you've got that foundation under your belt, you'll learn how to build upon it with characters that breathe and conflicts that stem from real needs.

One of the most impressive qualities of this book is how honest it is. It's never about how to manipulate your audience to feeling a certain way. Instead, it's about centering yourself as the author and writing from the heart and the mind.

I must have read a dozen other books on dramatic writing. And for me, this is the best.