What the bloggers say

about Yves Lavandier's Writing Drama

"The best book on dramatic writing. (...) Very highly recommended." - Charles Deemer (The Writing Life II)

"Writing Drama is more than a screenwriting book. It's a complete education." - Alexis Niki (The Third Draft)

"This book is perfect. (...) Lavandier believes in great story told right." - Scott the Reader (Alligators in a Helicopter)

"A unique experience. (...) Lavandier knows the trade from inside. (...) The least dogmatic of all treatises." - Emma Sinclair (Virtual Writer)

"The most advanced, most comprehensive, and generally most helpful book on the subject." - Xander Bennett (Childish Things)

"Writing Drama is a veritable goldmine. It not only includes theories, advice and information, it is also a book on film passion. Filmgoers should read it, to better understand the films they see." - Camillo de Marco (Cineuropa)

"The 52 page chapter on dramatic irony alone is worth the price of the book. (...) I used to think that Robert McKee's Story was the icing on the screenplay cake, but if it were, then that icing would be pure white. Yves Lavandier's Writing Drama puts the colour into that icing." - Wayne Cezair (Screenwriting Structure)

"I bloody loved it. (...) What a refreshing change." - Lucy Vee (Bang2Write)

"A broader perspective on film that the strictly Hollywood point-of-view." - The Thinking Writer

"Inspirational and instructive yet fun to read. (...) One of the best screenwriting books I have come across." - Laugh Calvin (Hollywood Is Talking)

"There is a lesson on every page. (...) I recommend that this be added to any screenwriter's library as a reference."- Miriam Paschal (Mystery Man on Film)

"Lavandier gives the best, and most flexible explanation of Three Act Structure that I have read." - W. Rabeneck

"... could easily form the foundation of a degree course." - Phillip Barron (The Jobbing Scriptwriter)

"Simply put: buy this amazing book. (...) You'll be accessing it and enjoying it again and again." - Matthew Terry (Hollywoodlitsales)

"This is the reference book for you. (...) I like Lavandier’s use of plays (European and American) as examples." - Bill Cunningham (Pulp 2.0)

"It provides the reader with (...) deep insights on origin, theory and method of drama and storytelling since the dawn of mankind. (...) A lonesome star sparkling far above the vast crowd of cookie cutter recipe books on how to make dough in Hollywood." - Robert Huttinger (Castalides)

"Chapter 7 is particularly strong in that it includes content that is hard to find in other screenwriting books." - Stewart McKie

"The book is most useful to playwrights and screenwriters, however writers of fiction may find the discussion of the elements of good storytelling structure helpful in their own work." - Amy Brozio-Andrews (Absolute Write)

"Very easy to read and clear. The focus of the book is on plays and films, but it could also be applied to novels and comics." - James Hudnall (Word Warrior)

"It’s also a fantastic book for producers and development executives." - E-script

"Highly accessible, with clearly defined sections laced with examples, quotes, and generous references." - M.A. Walker (ScriptLinks)

"A tome celebrating the importance of writing." - Diane Kristine

"You’ll have to take a bit of time with it, but I assure you, it will be time well-spent." - Jim Vines (The Working Screenwriter)

"Writing Drama is academic but accessible, it is philosophical but practical, it is educational but entertaining. It is now my favourite book about writing and so is very highly recommended." - Robin Kelly (Writing for Performance)

"The fact that plays and screenplays are two different mediums, governed by different structural and aesthetic rules, does not matter here, because the principles that Lavandier discusses transcends both and gets to the heart of truly great storytelling." - C. Elizabeth Peters (Coverage, Ink)

"True, I knew I was going to find myself at odds with the author at times (...) but I have gleaned much useful information from Lavandier's book. Gentle reader, by all means seek it out." - Ken Mogg ('The MacGuffin' Web Page)

"Yves Lavandier pulls no punches in discussing what does and doesn't work. His examples, by themselves, are worth the price of the book. (...) In total, Writing Drama offers a thorough grounding in the craft of dramatic writing for the novice and a fresh perspective on classic concepts for veteran writers looking to be inspired once again." - Tom Morgan (Starving Writer)

"Writing Drama is a MUST read for the serious screenwriter, or the die-hard film fan." - Redinkworks

"An exhaustive and rigorous look at the art and practice of writing drama." - The Script Factory

"Imagine that you know someone who really knows what he is talking about regarding the subject of script writing, who's taking you by the hand and dissects all aspects of the trade, supplies you with invaluable insights, and points out things you would have probably missed while writing. Sounds too good? Maybe so, but this is how I feel about Writing Drama. (...) Everyone interested in how to tell intoxicating stories should read this book, period." - Erik M. Keller (Could be useful)

"French filmmaker and teacher Yves Lavandier has written an extremely intelligent and comprehensive analysis of dramatic structure and the principles of storytelling." - The Top 10 Books (Page Awards)

"Writing Drama is a dense read and it scared the shit out of me. I probably wasn't ready to read it. But I am now finding it really helpful. It really understands storytelling." - Potdoll (My Forehead is Bleeding)

"Lavandier's book is nothing short of the most exhaustive book on screenwriting. (...) Although it can be wordy, its density is one of the great things that makes it stand out from other books on drama. (...) In my humble opinion it blows McKee out of the water. Writing Drama is a great learning AND reference tool that lives up to its subtitle "A Comprehensive Guide." " - Daniel Calvisi (Act Four Screenplays)

" I began underlying Lavandier’s pearls of wisdom and quickly found entire pages covered with underlining. (...) For all serious screenwriters, this book is highly recommended." - Jack Brislee (The Story Department)

"This is pure gold." - Karel Segers (The Story Department)

"Yves Lavandier is an extraordinarily intelligent man with a strong sense of story telling ethics." - Red Winer (Articlesbase)

"At first sight, the titles of paragraphs may suggest old news being repeated again, - protagonist, dramatic goal, obstacles, three act structure, etc. -, but reading the paragraphs reveals new material as well as old topics dealt with in much more detail than usual." - Patrick Cattrysse (Vlaamse Script Academy)

"If you have the time and money to buy one book to help you write better then I must encourage you to purchase Writing Drama by Yves Lavandier." - Howard L. Wieder (Queens Bar Bulletin)

"Yves Lavandier's Writing Drama is a solid book for screenwriters and playwrights that you should get." - Scott W. Smith