sustained theatre

By Sustained Theatre

• People tell stories all the time. Look for them and you'll soon start spotting them everywhere, from newspapers to snatches of overheard conversation.
• Ask yourself what your story is. You could try summarising it in a sentence or two and sticking it by your desk, so you can keep it in mind.
• Get into the habit of writing. If you're short on time, try writing little but often.
• Overwrite, then cut. (Don't reveal in the first scene that Oedipus is sleeping with his mother.)
• Women tend to write subconsciously, men tend to plan more. Do whatever works for you.
• Give your main character obstacles to overcome. He/she should have changed by the end of the play, if only fractionally.
• What are your characters' wants and objectives? These might change from scene to scene.
• Make your characters extraordinary or larger than life in some way.
• Think about the subtext of your dialogue and remember that people often don't say what they want to say - or say the opposite of what they think.
• You might find it useful to "hot seat" your characters. Assume the identity of one of your characters and get someone to ask you questions about yourself.
• Read your play out loud to yourself.
• Don't send your script out immediately. Put it in a drawer for a week or two, then have another look at it and ask yourself whether you're sure it's finished.