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Exploring Your Inner Playwright
By Susan Sundwall
I’m a restless writer. I can only work on certain projects
for so long and then I need a jolt of something new. This
restlessness has led me down more than one writing path and
quite often I’ve been surprised at my success on some of
them.
One such path was marked “plays and skits,” and I reluctantly
set my foot on it. I mean, didn’t one have to be related to
Tennessee Williams or something to write a play or even a
short skit? Turns out the answer is no. I just got my brave
up and decided to give it a shot. Here’s what I discovered.
Plays and skits are good stories first and foremost, with
the opening lines giving a hint of the plot that your main
characters will be involved in. Characters are introduced
and the story builds through action and dialog, reaching a
climax with the solving of the plot problem shortly before
the curtain goes down. That’s a pretty straightforward
blueprint don’t you think?
Some of my short stories could be adapted to become a play
or skit. I simply imagined them being acted out. Many writers
‘see’ their characters speaking and moving as they shape their
stories anyway so it’s no great leap to write in script form.
And, very importantly, a play is all visual and must be carried
along by the action and dialogue. I love writing dialog. Dialog
puts the human element into any story and lets me have all
sides in building a story through conversation.
I’ll admit, it does take a bit of practice to get into
playwriting mode. But here’s a quick idea to test your
potential for play and skit writing. Take an old classic
like ‘The Three Little Pigs” and script a few pages. All
that’s necessary is that you give each pig a separate line
for dialog. The story set up mainly through that dialog. Give
the pigs some personality and sass. For instance:
Pig 2: (to Pig 1) Hey, did ya see the paper this morning?
That fool wolf is on the prowl again.
Pig 1: Saw it. Don’t believe it. I hear he’s more huff than
puff and he doesn’t scare me a bit.
Pig 2: Ya think? In that case hand me some of that straw.
Pig 1: (hands over straw) Did ya hear old Harley’s using
brick for his place? Idiot.
Fun, huh? And the pay? Plays and skits run high and low along
the pay scale like most other types of writing. I’ve been paid
by the word and by flat rate. Markets abound and each publisher
has its own guidelines and formatting requirements. For plays,
there are also competitions that can result in money and actual
production of the winning entry.
I’ve had more fun writing plays and skits than almost any
other sort of writing I do. If you’re inclined in this
direction at all, check out the following links.
Heuer Publishing- Publishes plays for adults, teens and children.
www.hitplays.com
TADA! Youth Theater with annual contest
http://www.tadatheater.com/abouttada/default.asp?mainframe=/information/contact.asp
Bakers Plays – Plays, contests and festivals
http://www.bakersplays.com/store/play_submission.php? osCsid=af68eb923d1cf63cb1b72270519ca24e
Standard Publishing – Religious program books
http://www.standardpub.com/Quick%5FLinks/Information%20Desk/writersguidelines.asp
Contemporary Drama – For school and church
https://www.contemporarydrama.com/guidelines.aspx
Pioneer Drama Service – Plays, musicals, contests
http://www.pioneerdrama.com/playwrights/playwrights.asp
Most of my success, thus far, has been with holiday plays and
skits for children and teens. But I’ve sold quite a few and
even saw one, Bartholomew the Clueless Shepherd, produced.
So, my inner playwright will continue exploring the path she’s
set her foot on and maybe she’ll even meet you on it someday!
Bio
Susan is a restless freelance writer, children’s playwright
and budding cozy mystery author. She writes from her home in
upstate New York.
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