Review “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)“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)“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)“The practical genius of 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 Dunnesl’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)“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)“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)“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.” (Judy Samelson Playbill.com) Read more 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. Read more
T**.
Not for Everyone
Not to say that this book isn't useful, but it's dull. The "voice" of the book feels very outdated. It reads like a text book and isn't very reader friendly for a lay-person to use as a handbook. I recommend a more contemporary book such as "Playwriting Seminars 2.0" which breaks things down in a way that is much easier to follow with many more modern references to make examples of the terms. The illustrations in PS 2.0 also help give a visual explanation. If you are a playwriting connoisseur - go ahead and buy this book. If you want guidance that is plain and simple and to-the-point, buy something else - like PS 2.0.
J**N
Also for fiction writers
Will Dunne's The Dramatic Writer's Companion: Tools to Develop Characters, Cause Scenes, and Build Stories is one of several books I've read that target playwrights and screenwriters. In this case I think that's a shame, as the exercises in this book, especially for character development, are useful to anyone who creates fictional worlds.Like Roy Peter Clark's Writing Tools: 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer, this book has you apply the exercises to your work in progress, rather than to synthetic prompts.For that reason, this is my go-to book for those moments when nothing is working.The Dramatic Writer's Companion stands out because of the way it is organized. Many chapters are only a few pages long, and discuss the development of your story or characters out of a particular need you have. For example, take the chapter "Finding the Character's Voice." As in every chapter, Dunne provides a description at the top to let you know what it's about:FINDING THE CHARACTER'S VOICETHE QUICK VERSION: Hone and contrast the unique voices of two charactersBEST TIME FOR THIS: Any time you need to know a character betterThese "Best time for this" tags are invaluable. Here are some others:During early story development or any time you add a new characterAfter you are well into the storyAfter you have a working sense of the main characterWhen a character seems like nothing more than an evildoerDuring scene planningetc...In fact, these "best time for this" descriptions are so useful, I hope there will be an index of them in a future edition.For my writer friends fond of using the Dramatica Theory of Story to build story structure and characterizations, I have found that Dramatica maps easily into these exercises, which provide intense focus on relationship.
R**Y
A Wise Companion
There are many good books that teach you how to analyze the elements of a great script. But understanding why a masterpiece is great does not make you a great writer. Dunne's book is different. It doesn't stop at telling you what a script should contain, but is filled with practical exercises that show you how to create and develop your material. I turn to this book often. It is like a wise friend who always asks the right questions to help you define and solve your problem.
N**Z
I owe a debt of gratitude to Will Dunne
The Dramatic Writers Companion saved me this year. I had written a play for Rochester, NY's first fringe festival, but I didn't feel it was the best I could do. It was my first play, though, I didn't really know how to turn it into the play it was supposed to be; a play I felt proud to show.I spent a lot of June and July with the Dramatic Writers Companion. The exercises on synopsis helped me write a concise and compelling synopsis for a play that I hadn't even finished, because I understood what the core story was. Fringe wanted our synopses for their programming months before my play revisions were completed, but it turned out fine.Working out what the play was about in its truest and simplest terms about allowed me to then write the most clear-sighted piece of work I've ever created. Characters developing the themes with more artfulness and purpose than ever before.The result was that my play received excellent responses from the director, actors, and audience. And it has now been picked up by an established theater company for a full production in 2013.Thank you, Will Dunne, for writing this book.
M**R
Excellent, highly recommend
I have been writing an amateur for years. I didn't put pen to paper until I studied up on all the techniques and methods for writing, including a good many books on characterization. Years later, I came across this one, and it is the best I've read. Thorough and well organized, easy to read but also really gets you thinking about the basis of short stories and novels, the characters within them. Highly recommended for anyone wanting to write fiction of all genres.
N**R
FANTASTIC
This is truly the Bible for playwrights and screenwriters. Clear, easy to follow exercises with very logical examples. Perfect for exploring characters and their dramatic journeys. Highly recommend.
A**I
Indeed the dramatic writer's companion
This book is not the book you start with, but it is for sure the book you will lean on for the rest of your life ...it helps you dissect the story, the characters and scenes, in ways that make it .. at least .. hard to miss!the exercise really does pay, I mean doing the character exercises for example, everytime will help you develop the character or at least understand it more !keep in mind that you must not be rigid when doing it, because you will find that your character or scenes are meta-morphing slowly into another thing, nevertheless a very favorable metamorphosis.a must for any established dramatist or any aspiring one.
A**R
I used to get stuck in Grad School, stuck ...
I used to get stuck in Grad School, stuck in deadlines, or just stuck anytime anywhere and when I took the time to sit down, and do a couple of these writing exercises, it opened up so much character and story to explore. At the very least, it puts the writer behind the steering wheel of momentum. That's not to say i don't use it for several other facets of writing, because it literally generates entire worlds within which your characters and stories can operate.
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