Rating: 
Summary: Screenwriting evolves - Egri is full of himself.
Review: This is probably one of the most recommended works on the subject - which doesn't make it the best. Egri is often quoted for his "...leads to ..." premise.But like Freud, whose work was very self-indulgent, though evolutionary in its time, Egri gets caught up in himself and
his dictates as though carved from stone. For this reason, his material is static and closed-minded in a very dynamic field. People recommend him based on tradition or loyalty. "It's a classic, so..." A better, more in touch read is Alex Epstein's Crafty Screenwriting. He is ego-free and bottom line. He writes in a humorous, conversational style that doesn't lecture or preach.
AND...He's a PROCUCED writer, so he knows how to get it done.
Rating:
Summary: Screenwriting evolves - Egri is full of himself.
Review: This is probably one of the most recommended works on the subject - which doesn't make it the best. Egri is often quoted for his "...leads to ..." premise. But like Freud, whose work was very self-indulgent, though evolutionary in its time, Egri gets caught up in himself and
his dictates as though carved from stone. For this reason, his material is static and closed-minded in a very dynamic field. People recommend him based on tradition or loyalty. "It's a classic, so..." A better, more in touch read is Alex Epstein's Crafty Screenwriting. He is ego-free and bottom line. He writes in a humorous, conversational style that doesn't lecture or preach.
AND...He's a PROCUCED writer, so he knows how to get it done.
Rating: 
Summary: Bible For Writers
Review: This is the best book on writing I have ever read!
Rating:
Summary: I wish I had read this one first
Review: Well, I read this book recently after reading god knows how many screenwriting books. Some of them are quite repetitive aren't they?! The thing that I've found is that there are a lot of books out there that explain the three-act structure by saying you have a set-up, then you have your turning points, your climax, your resolution blah blah blah. Thing is we all instinctively know we need this stuff in our plays and screenplays but what's hard as a writer is actually figuring out what these should be. What makes a good turning point, what makes a good resolution etc? If you want to find out, I strongly suggest you read this book. I found this book (along with Robert McKee's 'Story') the most useful out of the many (screenwriting) books I've read because he gets into the nitty gritty hard stuff. He makes you think about how important the premise is. I disagree with some of the reviews of this book on this site that say that Egri says you have to know your premise from the outset, he doesn't say that, what he does say is that you have to know it clearly at some stage in writing your script and this is true because we go to films to find something out and all the pieces have to fit together or you'll say something like 'The second half of the movie dragged', 'Why did she do that? That wasn't in character' or 'The movie tried to prove too many points all at once' and so on. The more I write scripts, the more I realise that it's all about planning and architecture because pacing is everything unlike novels etc. In particular, the most useful takeout from this book is that your premise has to match your character and story. He goes into detail using 'A Doll's House' as an example. If Nora had been a different character, the resolution wouldn't have worked as well as it did and if the story happenings weren't chosen carefully based on her character, then the story wouldn't have rung true nor would we have understood what the premise is. The other thing that I think you'll really like is the stuff on conflict, the different types of conflict and when to use a particular kind of conflict for the story you wish to tell. I'm writing a script right now and this book encouraged me to be a bit more lateral and let go of the ideas I already had because they may not be the right situation for my main character or the story as is might not be the best vehicle for arguing the premise I want to argue. Brilliant stuff! Written so long ago yet still so relevant.
Rating:
Summary: My Bible for Writing
Review: Years ago my girlfriend and I were in the local book store. As budding writers, visiting a book store is as good a way as any to spend an evening. She was looking for a book on writing, and asked me to help her evaluate the myriad of books on the shelves. Even though she was the one looking to buy a good book on writing, I was the one who walked out with this book. For me, all writing falls into one of two categories - focused and revealing, or unfocused and confusing. Most books, and most books on writing fall into the latter category. The authors of these books haven't set up a criteria by which to judge words. Egri has. In this book he has deftly defined the craft of writing (play writing in particular, writing in general). By drawing a CLEAR line in the sand, he tells you what good writing is and should be. In science when you have two possible theories to explain something, you always throw out the more complex theory in favor of the simple. Egri gives you a simple formula. One which, upon reading, may have you wanting to throw out many of your other books on writing. Full of examples from plays both "of the times" and forgotten and classics, Egri describes what playwriting IS. The only other books I've read on writing that reveal as much as this (albeit shedding light on different aspects of the process) are: Stein on Writing by Sol Stein Wild Mind by Natalie Goldberg The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell and though I haven't finished it, The Passionate Accurate Story by Carol Bly. On my shelf also are Heny Miller on Writing, and the Thirty Six Dramatic Situations (Gorges Polti). This distillation of the world of Drama is one that changed the way I view the craft of writing. I recommend it to those of you who are ready for the same. Contact me with your comments.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Book Ever
Review: Yes, this is the best book ever.
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