Write a Short Play! (4 of 4)
For Part 1 in the "Write a Short Play" series, click here!
For Part 2 in the "Write a Short Play" series, click here!
For Part 3, click here!
FAQs About our 3rd Annual Short Play Festival
Annual Call for Scripts: Submission Guidelines
Great news! Our deadline for short play submissions has been extended. Submissions for our short play festival are now due on August 8th, 2013.
Now, you can breathe a sigh of relief. You have an extra week to write and submit a short play to Native Voices! We’re really excited to see what you come up with.
If you’ve been following our short play writing exercises, you’ll also be glad to know that it’s time for the fourth and final exercise: write the darn play!
Exercise 4: Write Your Short Play
For this exercise, it’s important to remember that there is an eraser on the end of your pencil (or correction fluid for your pen, or a backspace button on your keyboard). In other words, don't worry about getting your short play perfect the first time. Longtime Native Voices friend and award-winning playwright Rob Caisley reminded us of this saying:
“Don’t get it right, get it written!”
What you write today is just a first draft of many. Playwright, teacher, and Native Voices friend Julie Jensen emphasizes that each draft is “just an experiment. Nothing to fear, nothing to worry about.” You can always rewrite it. In fact, you should rewrite as part of your process.
“The difference between a so-so play and a good play is REWRITING,” Rob adds. “The difference between and good play and a great play is REWRITING. But until you've got a first draft, you've got nothing to improve.”
With this advice fresh in mind, return to your main character and antagonist. In the last exercise, your antagonist came up with 10 different ways to thwart your main character in his/her struggle to achieve their goal. In my example, Joe was doing everything he could to stop Jane from breaking up with him. His efforts included destroying his phone to avoid break-up texts, and physically chasing Jane down if she tried to run away. A crisis was ready to erupt between Jane and Joe. Time to write a confrontation!
Try writing a short play with your main character and antagonist. It doesn’t have to be very long (a short play can be as few as 5 pages long to submit to Native Voices).
With an entire week left to write your short play, I hope to have plenty of reading to do when August 8th arrives. Remember, you can submit up to three (3) plays in each category, short or full-length. So send them in! Happy writing!
For Part 2 in the "Write a Short Play" series, click here!
For Part 3, click here!
FAQs About our 3rd Annual Short Play Festival
Annual Call for Scripts: Submission Guidelines
Now, you can breathe a sigh of relief. You have an extra week to write and submit a short play to Native Voices! We’re really excited to see what you come up with.
If you’ve been following our short play writing exercises, you’ll also be glad to know that it’s time for the fourth and final exercise: write the darn play!
Exercise 4: Write Your Short Play
For this exercise, it’s important to remember that there is an eraser on the end of your pencil (or correction fluid for your pen, or a backspace button on your keyboard). In other words, don't worry about getting your short play perfect the first time. Longtime Native Voices friend and award-winning playwright Rob Caisley reminded us of this saying:
“Don’t get it right, get it written!”
What you write today is just a first draft of many. Playwright, teacher, and Native Voices friend Julie Jensen emphasizes that each draft is “just an experiment. Nothing to fear, nothing to worry about.” You can always rewrite it. In fact, you should rewrite as part of your process.
“The difference between a so-so play and a good play is REWRITING,” Rob adds. “The difference between and good play and a great play is REWRITING. But until you've got a first draft, you've got nothing to improve.”
With this advice fresh in mind, return to your main character and antagonist. In the last exercise, your antagonist came up with 10 different ways to thwart your main character in his/her struggle to achieve their goal. In my example, Joe was doing everything he could to stop Jane from breaking up with him. His efforts included destroying his phone to avoid break-up texts, and physically chasing Jane down if she tried to run away. A crisis was ready to erupt between Jane and Joe. Time to write a confrontation!
Try writing a short play with your main character and antagonist. It doesn’t have to be very long (a short play can be as few as 5 pages long to submit to Native Voices).
- Use at least three of your main character’s tactics to get what they want, and have your antagonist make at least three countermoves.
- Make the two characters worthy opponents– both should have something to gain, or something to lose (ex., Jane wants to gain freedom, while Joe doesn’t want to lose comfort/love/security/etc.).
- If your main character won what he/she wanted, then rewrite an ending where your antagonist gives one last, lethal blow, preventing the main character from attaining happiness.
- If your main character lost what he/she wanted, rewrite an ending where he/she gets a burst of potent energy and finds a way to achieve their goal.
With an entire week left to write your short play, I hope to have plenty of reading to do when August 8th arrives. Remember, you can submit up to three (3) plays in each category, short or full-length. So send them in! Happy writing!
The deadline for short play submissions is now August 8th, 2013. For more info about our annual call for scripts, click here.