The Dramatic Writer's Companion: Tools to Develop Characters, Cause Scenes, and Build Stories (Chicago Guides to Writing, Editing, and Publishing) [Hardcover]

Will Dunne (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 15, 2009 | ISBN-10: 0226172538 | ISBN-13: 978-0226172538

Moss Hart once said that you never really learn how to write a play; you only learn how to write this play. Crafted with that adage in mind, The Dramatic Writer’s Companion is designed to help writers explore their own ideas in order to develop the script in front of them. No ordinary guide to plotting, this handbook starts with the principle that character is key. “The character is not something added to the scene or to the story,” writes author Will Dunne. “Rather, the character is the scene. The character is the story.”

Having spent decades working with dramatists to refine and expand their existing plays and screenplays, Dunne effortlessly blends condensed dramatic theory with specific action steps—over sixty workshop-tested exercises that can be adapted to virtually any individual writing process and dramatic script. Dunne’s in-depth method is both instinctual and intellectual, allowing writers to discover new actions for their characters and new directions for their stories.

Dunne’s own experience is a crucial element of this guide. His plays have been selected by the Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center for three U.S. National Playwrights Conferences and have earned numerous honors, including a Charles MacArthur Fellowship, four Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Awards, and two Drama-Logue Playwriting Awards. Thousands of individuals have already benefited from his workshops, and The Dramatic Writer’s Companion promises to bring his remarkable creative method to an even wider audience.

(20090130)

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Will Dunne has taken everything he knows from the powerful dual standpoints of an award-winning playwright and a master teacher to create the book we’ve been waiting for. It’s all there—from every angle and every perspective—how to bring fascinating, fully-developed characters in conflict out into the light and onto the stage.”—Susan Stauter, artistic director, San Francisco Unified School District

(Susan Stauter 20090130)

“Will Dunne mixes an artist’s imagination and intuition with a teacher’s knowledge of the craft of dramatic writing. It is an irresistible combination, producing a book which is simultaneously astute and imaginative. . . . No one can teach anyone to become a dramatic writer. But it is possible to learn how to improve your writing skills. It is possible to be provoked into thinking differently, into adding different colours and dimensions to your ideas, to extend the range of images in your head, to startle your imagination; in short, to be inspired into trying new approaches and methods. The Dramatic Writer’s Companion has the potential to do all of that for a writer.”—May-Brit Akerholt, award-winning dramaturg

(May-Brit Akerholt 20090130)

“A breath of fresh air. Whether you’re working on your first play or your fortieth, preparing a first draft or polishing up a finished piece, The Dramatic Writer’s Companion offers challenging, thought-provoking exercises rather than formulaic ‘how-to’ solutions. This is the kind of book that not only makes plays stronger; it makes writers stronger as well.”—Jeni Mahoney, artistic director, Seven Devils Playwrights Conference and playwriting program head, Playwrights Horizons Theater School

(Jeni Mahoney 20090130)

“The practical genius of Will Dunne’s writing lessons proved invaluable to me in the development of the script for my own film, Mean Creek. I have read many books on scriptwriting, most a bunch of intellectual blather about themes and structure, whereas Will’s approach to writing is grounded in specific and useful exercises that a writer can actually employ at the moment of creation.” —Jacob Estes, recipient of the 2005 John Cassavetes Award, Film Independent’s 20th Spirit Awards for his film Mean Creek

(Jacob Estes 20090130)

“Will Dunne lays out all the right questions with great precision and elegance. In the process he coolly demystifies all the dramaturgical demons; they become nothing more than the routine technical challenges faced by any craftsman.”—Dennis J. Reardon, professor emeritus of playwriting, Indiana University

(Dennis J. Reardon 20090601)

“Will Dunne meets the writer on his or her own terms, eye to eye. Unique, ambitious, and comprehensive, The Dramatic Writer’s Companion contains practical writing exercises underscored by well-developed dramatic theory.” —Art Borreca, head of Playwrights Workshop and Dramaturgy Program, University of Iowa

(Art Borreca )

“In his new handbook for writers Dunne adheres to the idea that character development is essential to telling a story. . . . Dunne employs his wealth of experience as the current resident playwright at Chicago Dramatists, a Charles MacArthur Fellowship honoree, a former O’Neill Theatre Center dramaturg and an award-winning author of such plays as How I Became an Interesting Person, Love and Drowning, and Hotel Desperado to give writers a blueprint on how to examine their ideas in depth in order to develop their plays and screenplays.”—July Samelson, “Shelf Life,” Playbill.com

(July Samelson Playbill.com )

About the Author

Will Dunne is currently a resident playwright at Chicago Dramatists, where he develops plays and teaches workshops. He also has led over fifteen hundred workshops through his San Francisco program, served as a dramaturg at the O’Neill, and twice attended the Australian National Playwrights Conference as guest instructor. His plays, which include How I Became an Interesting Person and Hotel Desperado, have been presented in Russia, Australia, and Croatia as well as in the U.S.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 346 pages
• Publisher: University Of Chicago Press (April 15, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0226172538
• ISBN-13: 978-0226172538
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,441,622 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Will Dunne is currently a Resident Playwright at Chicago Dramatists (September 2006 - September 2012) where he is now developing plays and teaching classes. Through his association with Chicago Dramatists, his short comedy DEEP GARDENS was presented at Chicago's Second City in the summer of 2006. More recent Chicago area productions include THE ASCENSION OF CARLOTTA at the 16th Street Theatre (2008) and HOW I BECAME AN INTERESTING PERSON at Chicago Dramatists (2009). His play LOVE AND DROWNING will be produced at the 16th Street Theatre in September 2012.

In the 35-year history of the Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center under the Artistic Direction of Lloyd Richards, Mr. Dunne is one of only five playwrights to be selected three consecutive times for the U.S. National Playwrights Conference. HOW I BECAME AN INTERESTING PERSON, LOVE AND DROWNING, and HOTEL DESPERADO were each one of ten plays chosen annually from about 1,500 submissions nationwide for presentation at the O'Neill Center.

HOW I BECAME AN INTERESTING PERSON received a Charles MacArthur Fellowship awarded by the O'Neill and founded by Helen Hayes for outstanding comedy that "exemplifies the comic irreverent spirit of Charles MacArthur." The play also was presented as an international selection at the Australian National Playwrights Conference in Canberra, New South Wales, and in a Croatian translation at the National Theatre of Istria in Pula, Croatia. HOTEL DESPERADO was translated into Russian by the Moscow Theatre Union and presented as the international selection at its 10th annual festival of new plays in Schelykovo, Russia.

Mr. Dunne has twice been a finalist for the Heideman Award at the Actors Theatre of Louisville for his short plays MOONRISE and GOOD MORNING, ROMEO. U.S. productions of his work -- such as ELEVENTH HOUR, I MARRIED A WEREWOLF, BETWEEN QUAKES, and THE BRIDGE -- have received four Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Awards, two DramaLogue Playwriting Awards, and a Best-of-Year mention from the San Francisco Examiner. His toll-taker play THE BRIDGE also was selected as a project of the 50-Year Celebration of the Golden Gate Bridge.

His playwriting background is supplemented by years of acting, directing, producing, and teaching. Since 1988, Mr. Dunne has led more than sixteen hundred dramatic writing workshops through his independent program (Will Dunne Dramatic Writing Workshops) which continues to meet monthly in the San Francisco Bay Area and through Chicago Dramatists. He has attended the U.S. National Playwrights Conference as a dramaturg and the Australian National Playwrights Conference as a guest playwriting instructor. In addition, Mr. Dunne has served as a juror for Marin Arts Council playwriting grants in the Bay Area.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Belongs on every dramatist's shelf, April 27, 2009

By 

William W. Bivins (San Francisco) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Dramatic Writer's Companion: Tools to Develop Characters, Cause Scenes, and Build Stories (Chicago Guides to Writing, Editing, and Publishing) (Paperback)

I can't say enough about this book! The most useful book on dramatic writing I've come across--including Syd Field and Lajos Egri. It's perfect for experienced writers looking for exercises and analytical tools to help with rewrites; but it's also ideal for anyone first learning the craft. It can be used as either a how-to book, or a reference manual. My favorite feature is a troubleshooting guide at the end called "Fixing Common Script Problems." Each section gives you the problem ("Not enough conflict," "Main character too passive,"etc.), suggests how to approach it, then points to exercises in the book to help fix it. That section alone is worth the price of the book! Every serious playwright and screenwriter should own this book.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Clearly, the book to beat!, September 24, 2009

By 

Architect of Skin (Philippines) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Dramatic Writer's Companion: Tools to Develop Characters, Cause Scenes, and Build Stories (Chicago Guides to Writing, Editing, and Publishing) (Paperback)

The product description here on Amazon, plus the preview I saw in Google Books, convinced me that Will Dunne's book could be worth something in the sea of oh-so-many fiction writing books. Boy, was I wrong. "The Dramatic Writer's Companion" is not just worth something--it's simply the most comprehensive set of brainstorming exercises any storyteller needs to thoroughly flesh out a story.

It doesn't teach you writing per se. What it does is encourage you to explore the potential of your idea. Do you have a concept but hard-pressed to create a story for it? "The Dramatic Writer's Companion" can help.

Every step of the story development process is covered, whether you just have a core idea, or if you already have a glitch-laden draft that needs ironing out. Through questions and straightforward commentary, author Will Dunne encourages you to THINK and DIG DEEP. If you're serious about coming up with a well-rounded dramatic story, then this is the book to beat. Avoid this book if you're looking for shortcuts.

In other words, this book wants to make sure that you know your story like the proverbial back of your hand--inside and out, up and down, side to... you get the picture.

The book starts with a character, with the objective of making this character as three-dimensional as possible, as well as exploring the aspects of this character that could inspire dramatic action. The book then brings in the other characters and helps you establish the kind of character relationships that fuel a dramatic story.

Moving forward, the book then provides exercises for scene building, defining what a scene is and what it's supposed to do, and how characters influence scenes. There are exercises to help establish the tone of a scene, heighten conflict and tension, and connect scenes with the overall story objective. Threshing out dialogue is also covered.

As you go further, the book goes for the big picture. Point of view, dramatic arcs, inciting event, setups and payoffs... they're all here.

And then some. It doesn't matter if you're writing plays, or screenplays, or fiction, or graphic novels. Long overdue, "The Dramatic Writer's Companion" is a must for every serious storyteller's bookshelf.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What Every Writer Needs, May 17, 2009

By 

Scott Woldman (Chicago) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Dramatic Writer's Companion: Tools to Develop Characters, Cause Scenes, and Build Stories (Chicago Guides to Writing, Editing, and Publishing) (Paperback)

After years of writing using only a (often slow and laborious) trial and error method, I have finally discovered a book that has stream-lined the writing process. The exercises in Mr. Dunne's book not only provide a writer with a much stronger foundation with which to begin his or her plays (novels, short-stories, screenplays, etc.), they provide a variety of solutions for overcoming almost any writing-related obstacle that come up. Whether it's flat characters, lack of conflict, or the dreaded "what happens next," The Dramatic Writer's Companion offers a solution for them all. This is definitely a book that any writer who is serious about getting his or her work in front of an audience needs to read (over and over).