Thanh Reinsteinie

The key is unity. Out of necessity, teachers of writing split the art of fiction writing into about five elements

The key is unity. Out of necessity, teachers of writing split the art of fiction writing into about five elements: character, plot, voice, setting, and theme (a.k.a. premise, in Egri's vocabulary). Yet any writer who has been learning the craft for more than a few years will begin to intuit the problem with this approach. The problem is the same one you have if you go to your kitchen, say, and set a stick of butter, a bag of chocolate chips, an egg, a cup of sugar, and a cup of flour next to one another. They don't turn into a tray of chocolate chip cookies. Likewise, writers must consider the elements of the novel in relation to one another, because the decisions we make about any one element has important ripples in all the others.

If this insight happens to strike for the first time while you're revising a complete manuscript, you will probably feel like you're wrestling with a ball of tar. Any positive change in one direction undermines some part of the story somewhere else. For example, say you realize that you're a natural at writing in first person. So you change the manuscript to first person. But the problem is that your protagonist is an aloof computer genius for the CIA. Her POV doesn't sound right in first person, so... Congratulations. You've just discovered the unified nature of fiction.

Lajos Egri has a solution. The trick is to plan first, write second. He divides the story-building process into three parts: (1) premise (a.k.a. theme), (2) character, (3) conflict. That is, first, decide on your theme: the meaningful emotional arc that organizes the story. Second, pick the very best character to embody that arc. Third, pick the very best conflicts to throw at that character, to allow him to naturally enact the theme. Egri provides many, many examples drawn from theater (the book is written for playwrights) that soon make this process seem intuitive.

About Premise
1. You need to practise penning down the premise. 'Every good play (or film) should have a well-formulated premise. There may be more than one way to phrase the premise, but however it is phrased the thought must be the same,' he says. (Paranthetical is mine)

2. This premise is not that difficult to arrive at even though it might sound that way from some examples. For example, 'bragging leads to humiliation' is a premise and it sounds stupid. But your story has to have a premise like this.

3. One way to deal with this problem is to understand that the premise has three parts.
a) Character
b) Conflict
c) End

So in the example of 'bragging leads to humiliation,' the 'bragging' is character, 'leads to' is conflict and 'humiliation' is the end.

4. There can only be one premise.

About character
1. All characters should have three dimensions

a) Physiology
b) Sociology
c) Psychology
In other words, the physical attributes of a character, the social setting, upbringing influences a character and justifies their actions. The combined effect of these two will reflect in their psychology and that will influence the character a great deal as well.

Throughout the book we are told that the author's approach is dialectical. I would call it boring but yes, like the book says, this is a method by which something is said, written or done by following the following approach: All movement is comprised of these three steps

'First, statement of the proposition, called thesis. Then the discovery of a contradiction to this proposition, called antithesis, being the opposite of the original proposition. Now, resolution of this contradiction necessitates the correction of the original proposition, and formulation of a third proposition, the synthesis, being the combination of the original proposition and the contradiction to it.'
It is basically what we want our (Facebook) arguments to be but they never are.
2. All characters should grow

I call it an arc. Egri says, 'There is only one realm in which characters defy natural laws and remain the same – the realm of bad writing' I agree. Thanks.

3. This change or arc should match the physiology, sociology and psychology of the characters.

4. These things can be learned through observation or by observing those who have observed before you – which is why we need to read great books by great authors, watch great films by great filmmakers etc. We are observing them to see what they observed and how.

5. Everything – plot, conflict etc. stem from character and all of this should in the end prove the premise.

6. You need to have a pivotal character – also called 'protagonist'. This person must be the one with the highest stakes. (He says that in A Doll's House Krogstad is the pivotal character and i vehemently disagree. It is Dora.)

7. Characters should be well orchestrated. That is, they should not all be the same type. 'If all character are the same type – for instance, if all of them are bullies – it will be like an orchestra of nothing but drums,' says Egri. Orchestration is having contrasts in characters of your play or film.

8. Even if characters are well orchestrated, they need to have 'unity of opposites'. It means that both or all characters should have conviction and should not give up on their ideals mid-way. 'The real unity of opposites is one in which compromise is impossible,' he says. Unity of opposites is when opposites – for example, the hero and the villain are united by their will. This unity can only be broken by death of the dominant quality in one of the characters. For example, if we have a rational person and a superstitious one in a film or a story or a play, one has to succeed and the other fail.
About conflict
1. Action cannot happen by itself. It is a result of factors that cause it. 'We cannot find action in a pure, isolated form, although it is always present as the result of other conditions. It is safe to say, we conclude, that the action is not more important than the contributing factors which give rise to it.'
2. Conflict is of four types.

a) Static
b) Jumping
c) Slowly rising
d) Foreshadowing

The names mean just what they say.

Static is when a character makes a decision but lacks the strength to carry it through

Jumping is when the person decides something all of a sudden provoked by almost nothing

'Rising conflict means a clear-cut premise and unity of opposites, with three-dimensional characters.

'Every rising conflict should be foreshadowed first by the determined forces lined up against each other.'

3. It is possible that we do things upon impulse in real life but in fiction, we have to fully justify it using tools used in fiction – like the rising conflict.

4. Conflict springs from character. To quote, '…if we wish to know the structure of conflict, we must first know character. But since character is influenced by environment, we must know that, too. It might seem that conflict springs spontaneously from one single cause, but this is not true. A complexity of many reasons makes one solitary conflict.'

5. '…if you foreshadow conflict you're promising the very substance of existence.' – which is why we should do it, is what he means. 'Since most of us play possum and hide our true selves from the world, we are interested in witnessing the things happening to those who are forced to reveal their true characters under the stress of conflict. Foreshadowing conflict is not conflict yet, but we are eagerly waiting for the fulfilment of the promise of it. In conflict we are forced to reveal ourselves. It seems that self-revelation of others or ourselves holds a fatal fascination for everyone.'

6. The point of attack – this can be called the inciting incident for screenplay writers – it has to come at the right place. 'A good point of attack is where something vital is at stake at the very beginning of a play.'

7. Even though transitions happen in seconds in real life, in fiction, it is necessary to make it smooth so the audience can see and understand it. 'The author has to take all the steps which lead to the conclusion, whether that conflict happened in just that way or in the person's mind.'

Regarding dialogues
1. '…every line of your play, every move your characters make, must further the premise.'

2. In life, people quarrel year in, year out, without once deciding to remove the factor which causes the trouble. In drama this must be condensed to the essentials, giving the illusion of years of bickering without the superfluous dialogue.

3. 'Only a rising conflict will produce healthy dialogue.'

4. He gives a couple of good examples of good dialogue and how it is achieved.

About Shakespeare, 'The sentences in his philosophical passages are weighty and measured; in his loves scenes lines are lyrical and flow easily. Then, with the mounting of action, sentences become shorter and simpler, so that not only the sentence content, but the word and syllable content, vary with the development of the play.'

'The dialectical method does not rob the playwright of his creative privilege.' I agree with this. A lot of people say that this approach just limits. Especially film school people hold the opinion that anything with structure is death. I disagree. 'Once your characters have been set in motion, their path and their speech are determined, to a great extent; but the choice of character is completely your own. Consider, therefore, the idiom your people will employ, and their voices, and methods or delivery. Think of their personalities, and backgrounds, and the influence of these on their speech. Orchestrate your characters, and their dialogue will take care of itself. When you laugh at The Bear, remember that Chekhov gained his bombast and ridiculous dignity from a bombastic character played against a ridiculously dignified one. And in Riders to the Sea, John Millingyon Synge sways us to the tragic yet lovely rhythm of people who employ harmonious rhythms which are not identical. Maurya, Nora, Cathleen, and Bartley all use the accent of the Aran Islanders. But Bartley is swaggering, Cathleen patient, Nora quick with youth, and Mauraya slow with age. The combination is one of the most beautiful in English.'

5. 'The dialogue must stem from the character, not the author.'

Genius
'The extraordinary mental power of a genius is not necessarily strong enough to create his success. First, one must have a start, an opportunity to deepen one's knowledge in a chosen profession. A genius has the ability to work at something longer and with more patience than any other man.'

Something to practise while narrating your story
'If you must read your work to someone, ask that person to tell you the moment he begins to feel tired or bored.'
'A play should start with the first line uttered'. In films, it should start with the first frame and first sound.
'…"exposition" should proceed constantly, without interruption, to the very end of the play.' – cramming information into dialogues in patches here and there will not work. Audience should understand what you are exposing in the flow of the film/play.
Egri says that the 'obligatory scene' is not really a thing. It just means a scene that will prove your premise the best – and by its nature, it has to be there in all work of fiction.

Egri often fails to elaborate on his constant exhortations, and outright discounts plays without explaining why. I found myself frustrated by his pedantic style of prose, and his decision to straw-man most of his opponents' arguments didn't exactly do much in favour of his cause. This is a shame, as his theory does have some merit, and I often agreed with what he was saying. In the hands of another writer, this could

Egri often fails to elaborate on his constant exhortations, and outright discounts plays without explaining why. I found myself frustrated by his pedantic style of prose, and his decision to straw-man most of his opponents' arguments didn't exactly do much in favour of his cause. This is a shame, as his theory does have some merit, and I often agreed with what he was saying. In the hands of another writer, this could have easily made for a stimulating read.

That said, I can't exactly say that I wasted my time here. If you're looking for some Henrik Ibsen propaganda, look no further.

A brief aside, but I get the impression that Egri is a bit of a sexist: so far as I can recollect he only references a female writer once, and even then it is begrudgingly. His aesthetic theories are also rather lacklustre: he speaks of geniuses of great men specifically, and art as the perfection of the universe, and acts as if both of these revelations are both comprehensive in their own right and even remotely insightful. Overall, I get the impression that Egri wrote this book to lord it over his students, and his readers in turn. How people are willing to look past its latent sexism and the incessant arrogance of its author is beyond me. It is arduous.

Egri's approach is that of a naturalist and Socratic philosopher.

He bases his theory on observed phenomenon and allows illustration from example to prove his hypothesis. He then provides an approach using dialectics to encourage and challenge potential emotional resistance to the ideas.

The strongest and most exciting notion within this work is Egri's insistence on premise as the essential component for playwriting. My fledgling experience as a serious writ

Egri's approach is that of a naturalist and Socratic philosopher.

He bases his theory on observed phenomenon and allows illustration from example to prove his hypothesis. He then provides an approach using dialectics to encourage and challenge potential emotional resistance to the ideas.

The strongest and most exciting notion within this work is Egri's insistence on premise as the essential component for playwriting. My fledgling experience as a serious writer seems to prove this insistence. When I know what I am attempting to argue at a philosophical level I am more able to focus the action of the story and the characters towards that reality.

Egri provides compelling reasons for premise and then deepens this knowledge with a concern for character where the realization of character is the plot's essence. I enjoy the fact that Egri holds to a philology that does not seek after mysticism within creativity's fancy but rather demands discipline with known dramatic elements observed over time.

He channels A Darwinian sensibility of what is real towards the hope for an illumination of what is true.

If you love stories I recommend reading this wonderful guide book.

Please note that I put the original German text at the end of this review. Just if you might be interested.

With his works "Dramatic Writing" and "Literary Writing," Egri has created two profound and detail-by-detail guides that illustrate the creative process, clearly describing how to fail or shine. In the present "Dramatic Writing," the focus is primarily on the dramaturgy of the theater,

Please note that I put the original German text at the end of this review. Just if you might be interested.

With his works "Dramatic Writing" and "Literary Writing," Egri has created two profound and detail-by-detail guides that illustrate the creative process, clearly describing how to fail or shine. In the present "Dramatic Writing," the focus is primarily on the dramaturgy of the theater, which is in no way limited to use for Victorian stage monologues.
On the contrary, new perspectives open up for related scripts and fiction. For literature, the advice can be useful in the creation of dialogue and character, choice of narrative speed, structure, effects of subsequent changes, premise and the design of conflicts. In contrast to pure scribal advisors, Egri's work has the advantage of being able to do without explanations on specific literary problems and techniques and to be able to focus entirely on language and characters.
As a result, the personal development is carried out in a detailed manner and by numerous, well-comprehensible examples that are rarely found in the broader advisory literature. The performers somewhat subordinate and incidental also premise and conflicts are treated. Since these are but incessantly associated with the people of work and their character and motives must adapt to ensure tension, credibility and reading fluency, they play according to Egri rather the second fiddle.
Everything stands and falls with personalities that are realistically presented to perfection. Even lacking such a clever plot or rousing conflicts about the deficits in the empty pods that lead to these events cannot be deceptive.
Egri's advice is not so much an infallible one but rather practical examples of how to do it right, but not necessarily. Too rigorous compliance, on the contrary, threatens a tendency towards stereotypical figures and predictable storylines. Unless you are close to the championship or at least already well versed. Moreover, who can say that already?
Many subsequently easier to change aspects than the Dramatis Personae such as environments, details of the plot and sequence of scenes are mentioned only marginally or not at all. Necessarily, the essence and elixir of life of every halfway believable entertaining medium are real and comprehensible alternate personalities. These act three-dimensionally and accurately according to their mentality.
If cracks and gaps arise that lead to logic errors and implausible, superficial dialogues and abstruse actions that do not suit the characterization, there is a threat of shrinking from public interest to the resignation termination of the reading process. One of the few shortcomings of the work is the tendency of the author to articulate long and extravagant comparisons, metaphors and references to natural sciences. And also in the practical instructions to repeat long and wide. The second is understandable, as necessary for understanding.
The long and especially after decades no longer current and correct digressions in non-thematic areas would not have been necessary. The excess harmed the original purpose of the pictorial representation for better illustration. An intellectual self-adulation that is slightly detrimental to the work and unnecessarily lengthens it. I recommend the principle of reading over.
Even with some of the more extended excerpts from, in German-speaking countries mostly unknown, works would have been less. The fact that these are no longer up-to-date cannot be held up to the author, in contrast to other points of criticism.
The disadvantage lies in the more inadequate and more cumbersome applicability in practice since this writing style is antiquated and many examples can be more challenging to implement in contemporary literature. In summary, Egri's advice has influenced generations of authors and writers. Especially in the further development of his concepts towards a better use for contemporary literature will be a challenge for future faculties of creative writing.

Für Charakterentwicklung, Figurenbildung und Erkennung von Stilfehlern ungemein nützlicher Helfer

Egri hat mit seinen Werken „Dramatisches Schreiben" und „Literarisches Schreiben" zwei profunde und Detail für Detail den Schaffungsprozess veranschaulichende Ratgeber geschaffen, die auf verständliche Weise beschreiben, wie man scheitert oder brilliert. Im vorliegenden „Dramatischen Schreiben" liegt der Fokus primär auf der Dramaturgie des Theaters, was sich aber in keiner Weise auf die Nutzung für viktorianische Bühnenmonologe beschränkt.
Im Gegenteil eröffnen sich für artverwandte Drehbücher und auch Belletristik neue Perspektiven. Bei Literatur lassen sich die Ratschläge besonders bei der Dialog- und Charaktererstellung, Wahl der Erzählgeschwindigkeit, Aufbau, Auswirkungen von nachträglichen Änderungen, Prämisse und Konzipierung von Konflikten hilfreich einsetzen.
Denn im Gegensatz zu reinen Schreibratgebern birgt Egris Werk den Vorteil in sich, ohne Erklärungen zu spezifisch literarischen Problemstellungen und Techniken auskommen zu können und sich gänzlich auf Sprache und Charaktere fokussieren zu können. Dadurch wird die Personenentwicklung in einer Detailliertheit und anhand zahlreicher, gut nachvollziehbarer Beispiele vollzogen, die man in breiter gestreuter Ratgeberliteratur selten findet.
Den Darstellern eher nachrangig und nebensächlich werden auch Prämisse und Konflikte behandelt. Da diese aber unaufkündbar mit den Menschen eines Werks verbunden sind und sich deren Charakter und Motiven anpassen müssen, um Spannung, Glaubwürdigkeit und Lesefluss zu gewährleisten, spielen sie laut Egri eher die zweite Geige. Es steht und fällt alles mit bis zur Perfektion realistisch dargestellten Persönlichkeiten. Bei deren Fehlen kann auch kein noch so gewitzter Plot oder mitreißende Konflikte über die Defizite in den leeren Hülsen, die durch diese Ereignisse führen, hinweg täuschen.
Die Ratschläge Egris sind weniger unumstößliche Regeln, sondern eher praktische Beispiele, wie man es richtig machen kann, aber nicht muss. Bei allzu rigider Befolgung droht im Gegenteil eher eine Tendenz zu klischeehaften Figuren und vorhersehbaren Handlungssträngen. Sofern man nicht der Meisterschaft nahe oder zumindest schon sehr versiert ist. Und wer kann das schon von sich behaupten.
Viele nachträglich leichter als die Dramatis Personae zu ändernde Aspekte wie Umgebungen, Plotfeinheiten und Szenenabfolgen werden nur am Rand oder gar nicht erwähnt. Im Kern sind die Essenz und das Lebenselixier eines jeden halbwegs glaubwürdig unterhaltenden Mediums real und nachvollziehbar agierende Persönlichkeiten. Diese handeln dreidimensional und akkurat ihrer Mentalität entsprechend. Entstehen Risse und Lücken, die sich zu Logikfehlern und unglaubwürdigen, oberflächlichen Dialogen und abstrusen, nicht zu der Charakterisierung passenden Handlungen steigern, droht das Schwinden von Publikumsinteresse bis hin zum resignativen Abbruch des Lesevorgangs.
Zu den wenigen Mankos des Werks gehört die Tendenz des Autors, sich lang und ausschweifend mittels Vergleichen, Metaphern und Bezügen zu Naturwissenschaften zu artikulieren. Und sich auch in den praktischen Hinweisen lang und breit zu wiederholen. Zweiteres ist nachvollziehbar, da für das Verständnis notwendig. Die langen und vor allem nach Jahrzehnten nicht mehr aktuellen und richtigen Exkurse in themenfremde Bereiche wären jedoch nicht notwendig gewesen. Dem ursprünglichen Zweck der bildlichen Darstellung zur besseren Veranschaulichung wurde durch das Übermaß Schaden angetan. Eine intellektuelle Selbstbeweihräucherung, die dem Werk eher abträglich ist und es unnötig in die Länge zieht. Es empfiehlt sich das Prinzip des Überlesens.
Auch bei manchen der längeren Ausschnitte aus, im deutschen Sprachraum weitgehend unbekannten, Werken wäre weniger mehr gewesen. Das diese nicht mehr zeitgemäß sind, kann man dem Autor im Gegensatz zu anderen Kritikpunkten nicht vorhalten. Der Nachteil liegt in der schlechteren und umständlicheren Anwendbarkeit in der Praxis, da dieser Schreibstil antiquiert ist und sich viele Beispiele dadurch schwerer auf Gegenwartsliteratur umsetzen lassen.
Resümierend betrachtet haben die Ratschläge Egris Generationen von Autoren und Schriftstellern beeinflusst. Gerade in der Weiterentwicklung seiner Konzepte hin zur besseren Nutzbarmachung für die Gegenwartsliteratur wird eine Herausforderung für zukünftige Lehrkörper des kreativen Schreibens liegen.

I also learned about tridimensional characters, unity of opposites, points of attack, and the waves that conflict should come in. Another one of Egri's points was that "art is not the mirror of life, but the essence of life." So we ought to condense our writing down to that essence.

Some of the examples were long and made me lose interest, but overall I really enjoyed reading this instructional and useful book! I can't wait to try out his framework!

I started this with a 4-star rating, but given that it took me over six months to force myself to finish it, I had to downgrade it for not keeping my interest.

I started this with a 4-star rating, but given that it took me over six months to force myself to finish it, I had to downgrade it for not keeping my interest.

Ergi has valid - perhaps in some instances even unique - arguments and observations about playwriting and holds the whole artform up to very high standards. He calls theme "premise" and is very straightforward about his belief that charcaters must drive conflict, but the result is a solid demystification of dramtic writing.

However, he is a bit aloof throughout the book, which, personally, I found strangely appealing.

Ergi has valid - perhaps in some instances even unique - arguments and observations about playwriting and holds the whole artform up to very high standards. He calls theme "premise" and is very straightforward about his belief that charcaters must drive conflict, but the result is a solid demystification of dramtic writing.

However, he is a bit aloof throughout the book, which, personally, I found strangely appealing.

Here's a tip: If you really want an insider's look at scriptwriting for film, grab any of Linda Seger's works. They're much more informative and well written.

Here's a tip: If you really want an insider's look at scriptwriting for film, grab any of Linda Seger's works. They're much more informative and well written.

Still, I recommend this book to anyone who wants to create round and unforgettable characters.