A good exercise for the beginning playwright is to attempt to write a play quickly. Here are some tips for doing so.
A Simple Situation
The playwright should keep the setting of the play as simple as possible if they wish to write quickly.
A lot of great plays take place in just a room. Quickly written plays are about characters and not about huge sets.
Limited Number of Characters
Writing a play fast is a great deal easier if the playwright limits his drama to only a few characters. A maximum of five is sensible and less is preferable.
Setting Up Dramatic Conflict
Identifying a central conflict between your characters is essential for the writer who wishes to write a play quickly. A good technique is to ensure that your characters need something from each other. This will create instantaneous dramatic situations and a solid basis for scenes.
Creating a 2 Page Synopsis
Before beginning the typing of the first draft, the writer should create a two page synopsis. This should not be too detailed. It should include how close each character is to achieving their goals and dramatic needs. It is a plot synopsis and not a draft.
A Fast Writing Routine
All playwrights will benefit from getting into a solid writing routine. If a playwright hopes to write a play very quickly they will have to be writing at least 10 pages a day. If this is maintained then a solid first draft can be completed in around two weeks.
Alternatively the writer can choose to break their writing schedule down into a scene-by-scene method. The advantage of this method is that it maintains a consistency in the writing and avoids the danger of losing track. This method requires greater discipline because it may mean writing 3 pages one day and 13 the next.
Action is Character
Whilst it’s preferable to spend time over a character’s back story and past, the playwright should remember that action is character. An audience wants to see what your character does and how he behaves as the play unfolds. The writer should not worry if they don’t know every last detail of a character’s history. Characters will naturally flesh out once they are performed and when an actor has a chance to work with the script.
Secrets and Revelations in Plays
A good way for a writer to maintain interest is to give characters some elements that they would not want others to know. If the writer can foreshadow a revelation then this will maintain the audience’s interest. In fact the playwright who’s wishing to produce something quickly might consider a character secret as the basis for their whole story. Perhaps another character needs to find out what that secret is.
Writer’s may also find the following articles useful, Finding Inspiration for Unique Story Ideas, How to Write a First Play and Aristotle’s Six Elements of Drama.
Peter Reeves - Peter Reeves is proud to be the Suite 101 Writing for Stage/Screen FeatureWriter. Has written the popular articles Aristotle's Six ...
