How to Write a Play

Write a play and create fun characters, a magical place and an outlet for creativity. Whether writing the next masterpiece or a short skit with friends, a play is a way of presenting an idea and telling a story.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Begin with an idea. Inspiration can come from anywhere and at any time. Get inspired by an interesting person, a meaningful event, an interesting place or an important point that needs to be expressed. Plays are a great medium for expressing a concern or issue.

2. Develop the story before turning it into a play. Remember the same conventions of writing a story. Plot is extremely important, ending in a dramatic climax just like other stories. Character motivation will drive the plot. Organize the story and see if it fits into one act or five.

3. Create interesting characters. Good character development is essential to playwriting. They should have thoughts, feelings, passion, wants and needs. It is important in stage plays not to create too many characters, which would be confusing to an audience. Consider how many characters are needed to effectively tell the story. Some of the most intriguing plays have only one character, whereas some have dozens.

4. Create the world carefully. This is done partly in the designing of the set and costumes, but will need to be set up by the playwright in the dialog. If performing the play with little or no set or costumes, the audience only knows what the world is by what the characters say. It is important for the audience to understand in what context the play is being set.

5. Write believable dialog. Dialog is everything in a play. Some conventions may be used to give more information, such as the chorus used in ancient Greek plays, or soliloquies directly addressing the audience. However, dialog is generally the only way for playwrights to portray setting, character, feelings, thoughts, what is happening and what has happened before. It is important that the dialog being spoken by the character is believable and makes sense at the time it is being spoken.

6. Have a lot of action. In most cases, it is interesting for the audience to see the actors moving around on stage. Some of this is the work of the directors and actor later, but the play needs to allow for it.

7. Keep it simple. Remember that this is not a motion picture. Put the emphasis on good character development, a well thought plot and meaningful theme for the most successful play.

Tips & Warnings

• Read and see a lot of plays before attempting to write your own.

[lynnsher]

on 10/10/2009 Decent, basic instructions to get started. Thanks for posting!