First of all…how are you all doing? I’m thinking of my readers during this terrible, scary time. The safest thing for you all to do is self-isolate. That’s what I’m doing….I’ve been in my house for three weeks, seeing no one, going nowhere. My groceries are delivered…I spray them down before I touch them or put them away.
FACT: Refrigeration doesn’t kill the virus. Did you know the coronavirus can live in your freezer for two years?
What can you do with all of this time that you suddenly have? Maybe start to write that short play or story that you have rattling around in your head. Now you have the time and quiet to begin writing. Or perhaps you received a journal, as a gift, and never started writing in it.
Here are some fun (and helpful, I hope) tips on how to BEGIN.
How To Write A Short Play.
Picture walking into a room with three to five people. They are talking and you are walking into the middle of that conversation. That’s how you write a ten minute play or a short play. You should know these people, how they express themselves, what they’re passionate about.
Example:
GWEN (Whispers.) ©
Here she comes now.
SUE
Look at her…she’s so stuck up.
GWEN
Who does she think she is?
SUE (Sarcastic.)
Big shot on campus…just because she was first draft at the cheerleading try-outs. I heard she was on the competition team at her last school. Took state.
GWEN
That’s just a rumor. I personally don’t think she’s all that good.
(BRIDGETTE has gotten close enough to the girls to smile. HER smile dies when SHE realizes that THEY are talking about HER. SHE averts her head and walks on by. The GIRLS whisper just loud enough to be heard.)
SUE
Ice Queen!
GWEN
Like, so cold. The blond ice berg.
SUE
Look at her….she thinks she’s all that.
(Now. For this exercise, you, the writer, are Amanda. You walk into the middle of a conversation.)
AMANDA (Entering.)
Hi. What’re you talking about?
SUE
That new girl…Bridgette. She’s so stuck-up.
GWEN
So stuck up, I can’t believe it. She’s not even pretty.
AMANDA
Well, I wouldn’t say…
SUE (Cutting her off.)
You know, Debbie lost her spot on the team because of that (Aiming the word at Bridgette.) beee-ach!
GWEN (Slightly shocked)
Sue!
SUE
Well, she did. And Debbie’s my friend and I don’t appreciate someone nobody even knows, ruining Debbie’s chances to cheer this year.
(BRIDGETTE continues past, and at a
fast walk, exits. The GIRLS’ voices follow HER.)
GWEN
She’s got no friends.
SUE
Well, duh, she’s stuck up. Doesn’t talk to anyone.
AMANDA
I’ve talked to….
GWEN (Interrupting.)
Just ‘cause she’s tall and blond and skinny doesn’t give her the right to look down on all of us.
SUE
Yeah, who does she think she is anyway?
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I can almost promise you that your characters and their dialogue will sweep you down the river of words. It happens to me all the time. Your ten minute play can go over (12-15 minutes) without much complaint from anyone. You must have an arch and a resolution even though it’s very short. If you find you cannot do this you can create a one act play. About 40 pages. This excerpt is from a best selling (ten minute) play of mine titled Mean Girls. The play is basically about a form of bullying. The arch occurs when the mean girls allow Bridgette a chance to join them. The resolution (and end) is they find that Bridgette is not stuck up at all but just very, very shy.
Tune in for more about writing short stories, journaling and being creative during this stressful time. Tuesday I’ll blog about writing a short story and Thursday I’ll write about journaling.
Note: I apologize. Word Press doesn’t always hold my formatting. I’m looking into it.
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