Scriptmore Blog: Books for Playwrights

No matter how many plays you have written or how long you’ve been writing, we can always get better at our craft. One way to do that is to read and study great books about playwriting from the experts.

We recently had a great discussion on the Scriptmore Facebook group [link to join] about the best books for playwrights. Our community members offered so many good recommendations that we decided to collect them all in one place and share them on the blog.

Check out the books below to find one that’s new to you—and feel free to contact us with more recommendations if you have a favorite!

Dramatists Toolkit, The Craft of the Working Playwright by Jeffrey Sweet

Writing Adaptations and Translations for the Stage: A Guide and Workbook for New and Experienced Writers by Jacqueline Goldfinger

Playwriting with Purpose: A Guide and Workbook for New Playwrights by Jacqueline Goldfinger

Letters to a Young Playwright: Practical and Impractical Advice on the Art of Playwriting by Adam Szymkowicz

The Playwright's Guidebook: An Insightful Primer on the Art of Dramatic Writing by Stuart Spencer

The Crafty Art of Playmaking Kindle Edition by Alan Ayckbourn

Backwards & Forwards: A Technical Manual for Reading Plays by David Ball

The Art Of Dramatic Writing: Its Basis in the Creative Interpretation of Human Motives by Lajos Egri

The Art and Craft of Playwriting by Jeffrey Hatcher

The Dramatic Writer's Companion, Second Edition: Tools to Develop Characters, Cause Scenes, and Build Stories by Will Dunne