Playwriting Advice

Once you have settled on a subject or setting, remember to do the following:

1. Find a premise. What is your play going to be about? Why would people want to pay to see it? Try to write your premise in 1-2 sentences BEFORE you begin writing. What is it you want to tell the world!?
2. Decide on the form. Is your play tight enough to be contained in a 10-minute play, a one-act play, or a full length play? Do you have one central action or two or three or four or five?
3. Consider your set and theatrical convention. How is the play going to LOOK on stage? What might a director or actor have to do to make sure your idea comes alive?
4. Spend some time on character. Who is your protagonist(s), and how is the protagonist an antagonist to another character; how is the antagonist a foil or reflection of your protagonist? Remember that most characters don't think themselves as bad people. Everyone has their own motivation. Give your characters motivation.
5. Choose minor characters carefully. Only include characters that help move the play's plot forward. Incidental characters can and should be removed if possible. Otherwise, consider double-casting roles.
6. Characters move from a position of need vs. desire. They want things that they don't need and need things they don't realize they need. This causes internal conflict and makes your characters more interesting.
7. Don't kill a character on stage unless you're writing a comedy.
8. Much of the conflict in contemporary plays is the fact that human beings don't listen to one another. We cannot effectively communicate. While your characters have a NEED TO SPEAK, they are not always listening or understanding one another.
9. Consolidate sets and time as much as possible. If 3 scenes happen in the same place, for example, within a few minutes of each other, condense the time and setting and keep the action in one place at one time. Audiences hate sitting in the dark with nothing to do while a set is changed or actors change costume!
10. Make sure your play script is in play format. Proofread and consider adding detail and imagery to make your writing pop!