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Summary: the best, no comparison
Review: although some may not be familiar with his references (to plays), Egri is BY FAR the best at storytelling advice. this book is a critical must for any screenwriter or novelist. it's short, precise, and will really ignite a creative fire.
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Summary: Fantastic !
Review: Best book I ever read on the art of writing!!!
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Summary: The One on which all others are based...
Review: Egri has so much practical information to offer -- premise, character analysis, the art *and* the craft of dramatic writing. If you want an excellent distillation of all that works in dramatic writing, buy this one.
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Summary: Concur with reader from Nyack
Review: Egri's book powerfully and concisely explains what makes an effective story. It is at once simple, elegant, and to the point. This is not limited, by the way, to drama. He also explores a multitude of themes, including comedy.If you're interested in screenwriting or playwriting, and you want somewhere to start, this is an excellent point.
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Summary: Our Aristotle
Review: Egri's work is the only contender that I know of to Aristotle's "Poetics" for a guide to what makes good writing Good. Throw in Joseph Campbell's "The Hero with A Thousand Faces" and you have a sort of holy trilogy and trinity for writers. I've looked at some writing computer programs (haven't bought any yet), and many of them use one, or all of these methods. As an aside, I'll also throw in Polti as a source for plot. Not because I think he's very good, but because he's popular. In Egri's world, character is king. Each of the characters, he states, must have a driving reason to be on stage, and their reasons must be diametrically opposed. In other words, they can't all get what they want - for one person to get what she wants, someone else must be deprived of their goal. Each character must also be desperate (desperate enough to be interesting) to get what he wants. (It's been a few years since I've read Egri, so please forgive my bad paraphrasing.) Using many examples (some familiar, some unfamiliar) he gives you the tools to analyze plays (and all stories), and (therefore, hopefully) write plays, or stories, or novels, or movies... My girlfriend and I, even years after reading this book can't walk out of a movie theater or playhouse without analyzing it using the methods we learned from Egri. If I were only able to reccomend one book to writers, this would be it. (Followed, of course, by Aristotle & Campbell). If I were to have all books erased from my memory and could only re-read one, this would be a strong contendor. If I could say only one thing to you, reader of this review, it would be read this book as soon as you can get your grubby hands on it.
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Summary: Lajos Egri knows the art of storytelling
Review: He does a wonderful job of helping the reader to understand what drama is all about. This is one of the best book on storytelling you can buy. Buy it, you won't regret the purchase.
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Summary: He gets important stuff wrong
Review: I come with an axe to grind. I wrote two playwriting books of my own. But one of the reasons I wrote them is because I found so much in this one so wrong-headed. The idea of starting with a theme or intellectual premise is so bass-ackwards as to be jaw-dropping.
In my experience, you don't start with a theme, you find yourself attracted to characters in a situation that compels you to explore them and it. Sometime during the middle of the writing (if you're writing honestly), you may find out what the play's theme is. But theme should emerge organically, not be imposed from the beginning. To start with theme is like trying to build a skyscraper from the top down. It may be where you want to go, but, like building a building, you need to start with scaffolding and a foundation.
I trust that when I'm grabbed by character and situation that there has to be some underlying thematic pull. I don't want to force finding what this is out too early. If I surprise myself a little, I have a good chance of surprising and delighting the audience.
Now, there is a different craft to writing the first draft and doing rewrites. I suspect that some of Egri is more applicable to the second stage.
So, yes, obviously I prefer my own books (THE DRAMATIST'S TOOLKIT and SOLVING YOUR SCRIPT). Also, Thornton Wilder wrote a terrific short essay on the subject in which he talks about the differences between writing fiction and drama. Since he is the only writer to have won the Pulitzer Prize for both, he comes to the subject with credibility.
I mean, when is the last time you saw a production of an Egri play announced?
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Summary: Egri Hits the Mark with Human Motivation, Clear Writing
Review: I would have given this book a 10, except it didn't write my plays for me, I still had to do the work. Egri is clear, uses wonderful examples, and gets to the heart of the matter in a way that helps lesser concerns solve themselves as you find the threads of what your script is about and orchestrate your characters to best story advantage. Recommended to script writers, and to folks who just want a better understanding of whats going on up there on that stage.
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Summary: Clear and articulate
Review: I'm glad so many other readers enjoyed this book as much as I did. Concepts about how to make a story work that have escaped me up to now are made blazingly clear in one exciting example after another, and have given me focus and direction in my works-in-progress. This will make my own work more readable, which is, after all, what communication through the written word is all about. I am truly appreciative of a job well done. My ambition is to be as clear and articulate as Lajos Egri shows it can be done.
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Summary: the best book on dramatic writing!
Review: if you have to buy a book on dramatic writing, buy this one. I have several how-to books on dramatic writing, but this one is by far the best. I was always in the belief that sensitivity and writing could not be taught. Well, after reading this book I somewhat changed my view. Through Mr Egri's analysis of character, you gain more confidence on your ability to write better. This is the only book I come back to again and again. It opened my eyes to the world of dramatic writing. I'm glad I have this book.
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