Playwriting

Vision, Craft, and Tools Invention: Discovering an idea Planning: Developing plot and characters to move the plot Expression: Writing dialogue and action Tools: Plot, character, and language

Invention Find/discover a source of an idea for a play Could be inspired by: – Sketches of unusual people – Provocative lines from overheard conversations – Topics you feel strongly about – Folk tales or fairy tales – Events in history or current events – Incidents from your own life

Planning Through line: the major action of the play Dividing action into acts or scenes Conflict – Conflict with another person – Conflict with him or herself – Conflict with society – Conflict with the forces of nature or fate

Planning, part two Grabbing the audience with a hook: something in the script that grabs the audience’s interest Structuring the action Creating Characters and their Backgrounds – Protagonist – Antagonist – Foil – Functionaries

Expression Writing Dialogue – Fitting Dialogue to characters – Understanding time and place – Controlling the pacing – Writing in a straight line – Giving the audience time to laugh – Being economical

Formatting a Play Characters and Dialogue Act and Scene Designations Stage Directions Prologue and Epilogue Director’s Notes