Playwriting Tips
A few words of wisdom from some of our aspiring playwrights. We hope they'll help you on your writing journey.
We're always looking for ways to improve our skills, so if you have any pieces of advice you can give, we hope you'll share them with us by emailing [email protected]. If you have any questions or need further advice, let us know as well! We're always happy to help.
We're always looking for ways to improve our skills, so if you have any pieces of advice you can give, we hope you'll share them with us by emailing [email protected]. If you have any questions or need further advice, let us know as well! We're always happy to help.
Getting Started
*If you're absolutely stuck and void of all ideas:* visit the Brainstormer. It's an awesome website that give your three story elements completely at random (example: (1) Misfortune (2) dying (3) general). The way it works is you have three chances: the machine generates elements for you at random, and if you don't like what you get, you have two more chances to spin the wheel. The third time, however, you have to take what you get. (There's really no rule, but you could be clicking that wheel forever unless you force yourself to write about what your given. It's actually a fantastic way to write because it gives you a very basic framework to work within but allows you a lot of creativity in tying the pieces together. I find this is the best way to write successfully). (shared by Liz Wiegard)
*Look at the world around you.* You might not be courageous like one of your characters, but maybe someone around you is. Observe how they act, how they move, how they express themselves, how they talk... There are millions of different personalities and character traits to choose from if you look around. A few of my past theatre teachers would tell us just to go to the food court in the mall and just sit and watch the people. It's incredible the variety of the world around you. Dialogue especially. Different people talk in different ways. One person may blurt out everything they're feeling while another may keep it hidden. (shared by Aileen Wolk)
*Pretend and Imagine.* People learned this from Barney when they're four years old. You can be anything you want to be. There are worlds out there just waiting for you to explore and all you have to do if pretend. When you're in different situations, pretend to be your character. How would they react if they met someone from high school out of the blue or if a giant lobster jumped out of the fish tank at the zoo? The best way to get into the mind of your character is to pretend to be them, it's what the theatre troupe does all the time. We act. We pretend and imagine ourselves in their world and when we do that, the audience does too. The world you write is all your own. Share it with everyone. There are no rules when it comes to playwriting. A good story is a good story. (shared by Aileen Wolk)
*Look at the world around you.* You might not be courageous like one of your characters, but maybe someone around you is. Observe how they act, how they move, how they express themselves, how they talk... There are millions of different personalities and character traits to choose from if you look around. A few of my past theatre teachers would tell us just to go to the food court in the mall and just sit and watch the people. It's incredible the variety of the world around you. Dialogue especially. Different people talk in different ways. One person may blurt out everything they're feeling while another may keep it hidden. (shared by Aileen Wolk)
*Pretend and Imagine.* People learned this from Barney when they're four years old. You can be anything you want to be. There are worlds out there just waiting for you to explore and all you have to do if pretend. When you're in different situations, pretend to be your character. How would they react if they met someone from high school out of the blue or if a giant lobster jumped out of the fish tank at the zoo? The best way to get into the mind of your character is to pretend to be them, it's what the theatre troupe does all the time. We act. We pretend and imagine ourselves in their world and when we do that, the audience does too. The world you write is all your own. Share it with everyone. There are no rules when it comes to playwriting. A good story is a good story. (shared by Aileen Wolk)
Creating your World
*Keep the setting simple and don't use a lot of characters.* You can develop a lot of drama with just two characters in one room. (Not to mention, simple plays are easier to produce and thus more likely to get produced). That being said, if you've got a great idea that is more complex, go with it. (shared by Liz Wiegard)
*Make yourself an outline* You don't want too much to happen at one time and then have nothing happen elsewhere. Keep track of everything that goes on in the story. Start with the big ideas and then add the details from there. You don't need to know and write everything at once. Let the characters lead you as much as you lead them. They'll take you on a journey of their own, all you have to do is follow. (Shared by Aileen Wolk)
*Even very short plays can incorporate the three-act structure.* Every story has a beginning, middle, and an end. Here is a web page about three-act (although I think this was intended for novel and screenplay writing, but the same basic principles apply.) http://www.musik-therapie.at/PederHill/Structure&Plot.htm (shared by Liz Wiegard)
*Try separating your acts even further into scenes.* A scene is a smaller component of an act, and they're usually split by the different places the actors go, a passage of time, or by the events that happen. For example, Scene 1 could take place in a school while Scene 2 could be in the same place but a few hours later. It really just depends how you want to do it as a writer... and for the actors and stage time as well. If you have major props that need moving before leading into a major fight scene, it might be best to have that as a separate scene. (shared by Aileen Wolk)
*Keep track of the characters in each scene.* Know who'll be in what place and whether or not a character knows what's going on or not. Different characters might act differently around other people so you'll want to keep that in mind when writing the dialogue. An evil genius may want to hide his secret identity from a superhero, but once the hero leaves, he could immediately shift his personality and become a major villain while before he was only a shy background character. (shared by Aileen Wolk)
*Make yourself an outline* You don't want too much to happen at one time and then have nothing happen elsewhere. Keep track of everything that goes on in the story. Start with the big ideas and then add the details from there. You don't need to know and write everything at once. Let the characters lead you as much as you lead them. They'll take you on a journey of their own, all you have to do is follow. (Shared by Aileen Wolk)
*Even very short plays can incorporate the three-act structure.* Every story has a beginning, middle, and an end. Here is a web page about three-act (although I think this was intended for novel and screenplay writing, but the same basic principles apply.) http://www.musik-therapie.at/PederHill/Structure&Plot.htm (shared by Liz Wiegard)
*Try separating your acts even further into scenes.* A scene is a smaller component of an act, and they're usually split by the different places the actors go, a passage of time, or by the events that happen. For example, Scene 1 could take place in a school while Scene 2 could be in the same place but a few hours later. It really just depends how you want to do it as a writer... and for the actors and stage time as well. If you have major props that need moving before leading into a major fight scene, it might be best to have that as a separate scene. (shared by Aileen Wolk)
*Keep track of the characters in each scene.* Know who'll be in what place and whether or not a character knows what's going on or not. Different characters might act differently around other people so you'll want to keep that in mind when writing the dialogue. An evil genius may want to hide his secret identity from a superhero, but once the hero leaves, he could immediately shift his personality and become a major villain while before he was only a shy background character. (shared by Aileen Wolk)
Creating the Story
*Drama is action.* Conflict and engaging characters make your play more interesting than just having an actor stand up on stage and talk at the audience. (shared by Liz Wiegard)
*Keep track of your world.* If you want to create a world that's realistic to ours and easily relatable, don't go throwing in inflatable cheese or people getting abducted by aliens. It isn't believable. But if you want something totally unrealistic or a what if situation, make that known. Play it up. A lot of people like stories that have something they can relate to though, so pick and choose. You can have a crazy, outlandish setting but still have characters that act exactly like regular people. (shared by Aileen Wolk)
*Know your characters.* Don't have a villain suddenly be good for no reason. Either keep him bad or show his character develop over the course of the play. If your character is spontaneous, make sure the audience knows that early on but keep him spontaneous. People won't just suddenly change. It takes time. It is natural for the main character to change as the audience is following him/her. It's one of the appeals of a story, but it doesn't have to be. That's the glory of writing. (shared by Aileen Wolk)
*Every word in your play should be doing one of three things:* (1) revealing character, (2) moving the story forward, or (3) telling a joke. Anything that is not revealing character or progressing the story should be the set up for a joke. A joke is the only reason that something is not moving forward in the play. (shared by Liz Wiegard)
*Less can be more.* The less words you use, the better and more direct way the point gets across, but of course, it depends on the character. I'm currently writing a novel right now where my character loves to talk and he'll use analogies and everything under the moon to avoid the subject. It adds to the humor but not all of the characters are like that. The more diverse your cast is, the larger the audience you'll reach out to. Details are details and somethings may be better left unsaid, but that doesn't mean they don't affect your characters. If they're unorganized, show a messy room in the background. Not everything needs to be said outright. The words are only part of the story. Theatre consists of so many different parts all woven together: the lights, the sounds, the actors, the scenery, etc. There's so many things that could be done with it, but as a playwright, only focus on the words for now. Know the details, but focus on the words. (shared by Aileen Wolk)
*Keep track of your world.* If you want to create a world that's realistic to ours and easily relatable, don't go throwing in inflatable cheese or people getting abducted by aliens. It isn't believable. But if you want something totally unrealistic or a what if situation, make that known. Play it up. A lot of people like stories that have something they can relate to though, so pick and choose. You can have a crazy, outlandish setting but still have characters that act exactly like regular people. (shared by Aileen Wolk)
*Know your characters.* Don't have a villain suddenly be good for no reason. Either keep him bad or show his character develop over the course of the play. If your character is spontaneous, make sure the audience knows that early on but keep him spontaneous. People won't just suddenly change. It takes time. It is natural for the main character to change as the audience is following him/her. It's one of the appeals of a story, but it doesn't have to be. That's the glory of writing. (shared by Aileen Wolk)
*Every word in your play should be doing one of three things:* (1) revealing character, (2) moving the story forward, or (3) telling a joke. Anything that is not revealing character or progressing the story should be the set up for a joke. A joke is the only reason that something is not moving forward in the play. (shared by Liz Wiegard)
*Less can be more.* The less words you use, the better and more direct way the point gets across, but of course, it depends on the character. I'm currently writing a novel right now where my character loves to talk and he'll use analogies and everything under the moon to avoid the subject. It adds to the humor but not all of the characters are like that. The more diverse your cast is, the larger the audience you'll reach out to. Details are details and somethings may be better left unsaid, but that doesn't mean they don't affect your characters. If they're unorganized, show a messy room in the background. Not everything needs to be said outright. The words are only part of the story. Theatre consists of so many different parts all woven together: the lights, the sounds, the actors, the scenery, etc. There's so many things that could be done with it, but as a playwright, only focus on the words for now. Know the details, but focus on the words. (shared by Aileen Wolk)
Keep in Mind...
*Have people critique your work.* And be sure that the people you have read it won't just tell you it's great because they're your friend. While it boosts your ego, it doesn't develop your writing at all. You need constructive criticism. You need someone who can look at it with a fresh set of eyes and tell you what works and what doesn't. (shared by Liz Wiegard) Learn to take criticism and seek advice from different groups of people. Not everyone likes the same things, so it's all right if the first person who reads it doesn't like it. You can either take their advice or find someone else to read over it. It might go through hundreds of people, but someone out there will like it. It statistically has to happen. Never give up and don't let others get you down. It's your world, your creation, so have fun with it. (shared by Aileen Wolk)
*Practice and keep writing.* The best way to get better is to keep doing it. Keep on trucking. Look at it in pieces if you have to and work on a little bit at a time. You don't have to finish it all at once. People don't usually win an Oscar on their first movie. It takes time, practice, and effort. Start small and work up to the main goals. (shared by Aileen Wolk)
*The most important rule to playwriting is:* there are no rules. A good story is a good story. Following conventions is not a fool-proof way to get a good story, but it can really help with making your thoughts more cohesive and fluid, and can help make your story stronger over-all. (shared by Liz Wiegard)
*Practice and keep writing.* The best way to get better is to keep doing it. Keep on trucking. Look at it in pieces if you have to and work on a little bit at a time. You don't have to finish it all at once. People don't usually win an Oscar on their first movie. It takes time, practice, and effort. Start small and work up to the main goals. (shared by Aileen Wolk)
*The most important rule to playwriting is:* there are no rules. A good story is a good story. Following conventions is not a fool-proof way to get a good story, but it can really help with making your thoughts more cohesive and fluid, and can help make your story stronger over-all. (shared by Liz Wiegard)
