Make it Worse

Below are some principles of playwriting--but truthfully they are principles of storytelling, and apply whether you're writing an audio play or creating a television series.

To create compelling stories you need to . . . 

Make it Personal . . . 

Theatre is make-believe. Glorious pretending. Even the most well-researched story invites us into the realm of imagination.

So when I say, “make it personal” I don’t mean make it autobiographical (although you could)—I don’t mean write (only) what you know—I don’t mean make it small. I mean: write about something that moves you--to anger, to tears, to laughter. Write about something that touches your heart and tickles your brain.

Embrace and celebrate your unique point of view on the world. Bring your fears and dreams to the page. Plant a little bit of you in the characters you write.

In writing (and in life) YOU are your secret ingredient.

NOT REQUIRED: The exercises below are designed to help you get in touch with your unique voice.  They should look familiar--we used many of them in Playwriting THE2015.

Let's Get Active . . . 

Go for a walk. Get your blood flowing. Physical movement can spur creativity!

And then, come back to the page and craft characters to take action to pursue their goals.

How to start? Well, to start with--don't make it too personal. 

What? Didn't I just say to make it personal?

Yes . . . and . . . the lives we live are rarely designed to make a compelling evening of theatre--which is great! (see "Make it Worse".)
It's rare that we take decisive action in the face of steep odds to change our lives. We live more carefully, reacting to the situations presented to us prudently (usually).

But compelling characters are willing to take the risk--to be the initiator of the chain of events that make up a plot.

So . . . be careful if you view your protagonist as an avatar of yourself--it may hold you back from letting them do and say the things that might get them into trouble. Because we want to get them into trouble. Because most plots are about characters in crisis.

So how to write an active character? Place them at moment in their lives when they are willing to risk the status quo to make a change. And then let them take a risk.

To quote William Missouri Downs and Robin U. Russin in Naked Playwriting (who are themselves quoting Lajos Egri, in The Art of Dramatic Writing): 

"'Whenever you have a fully rounded character who wants something very badly, you have a play.' The key here is 'wants something very badly,' which suggests a crisis in that individual's life that must be resolved in the face of strong opposition. It suggests a character who will force a conflict. 'Write about people only when they have arrived at a turning point in their lives. Their example will become a warning or an inspiration to us.'"

NOT REQUIRED: The article below expands on this idea and offers some useful tips both for getting started creating active characters and for rewriting to activate existing characters. 

Make it Accurate . . . 

Accuracy matters. Details matter. Authenticity matters. So how do you make it accurate? 

Draw from worlds you know well

There's a reason for the advice to "write what you know". Few things are quite so delicious as being immersed in a world that the author knows inside and out. So draw from worlds you know well! Did you spend a summer in college scooping frozen bits out of chickens in the deli of a grocery store? Set a play there!—or give that messy job to one of your characters.

Do your research

Want to write about a world or subject you don’t know so well? It’s time to research. And yes—research means scouring the internet (which can make for some disturbing search histories!—“ways to fake your own death” “Can a switchblade cut through bone?” “Descriptions of classic cons”) but don’t stop your research with Google.

Ride-along—Become embedded

Want to write about a homeless shelter?—guess what—you can volunteer. Want to write about a judge?—hang out in the courthouse. Want to write about a four-year-old?—offer to babysit your niece. And if you don’t have the time or the means or the access to embed yourself in the world you want to write . . . 

Eavesdrop on social media

Want to write about neurodivergent podiatrist? Guess what—there are online groups for podiatrists, and you can take your pick of neurodivergent groups and neurodivergent influencers. (Are there influencers who are podiatrists? Could be.) And here’s the thing. You don’t need to ask for an interview. You can just hang out in these spaces and soak up the culture. Interviews are great—but be sure to be steeped in the world first.

Turn to other artists--with a caveat

Have others written about the same subject? You may want to read those books and see those plays. Sometimes it helps-- but sometimes it may diminish your own voice. It's easy to be derivative (even unintentionally) so sometimes it helps to write a draft of your own before checking out other work in the same vein.

Consider hiring a sensitivity reader

Are you writing about characters from a marginalized group that you're not a part of?
When you lack lived experience, it's a good idea to get the perspective of someone who does have lived experience.

Make it emotionally accurate--make it truthful.

 And finally, most importantly, make it emotionally truthful. Inhabit your characters like an actor would--imagine what you would do if you had their given circumstances. Empathize with your characters (even the villains) and write with an open heart. Bring your imagination and your impulses and emotions--(even the ones you might be ashamed of--even the ones you don't always show)--bring them to the page. It will give your authenticity to you characters and authority to you work.

NOT REQUIRED: Read more about sensitivity readers here:

• https://www.writingdiversely.com/post/what-to-expect-when-you-hire-a-sensitivity-reader

• https://www.writingdiversely.com/blog

Make it Complex . . . 

Life isn't black and white--your scripts shouldn't be either!

So make them complex. Intentionally craft scenarios where the "right" thing to do isn't clear. Give multiple sides a voice. Press into the questions. Interrogate your assumptions.

And make your characters complex too. Even villains think they are heroes. 

If you find yourself resisting complexity--check out the below article by Jess Pillmore.
Here's a pull-quote to pique your interest:

"The freedom to question the institution you are actively involved in is chained to the fear of questioning yourself. Be at peace questioning yourself. There’s the real antidote to binary blinder-vision: unconditional curiosity.

Art is a playground for rediscovering that skill, that desire to play. It is allows us to entertain seemingly preposterous ideas to their fullest extent. It allows us to explore aspects of ourselves that don’t fit into tiny boxes of yes or no. The more we play in those grey areas, with empathy and mindfulness, the more we affect how our society owns binary ideas."

                                                                                          –Jess Pillore, The Complexities of You

Aristotle.

While we're talking about complexity . . . 

Aristotle said there were two types of plots: Simple and Complex.

A Complex plot, according to Aristotle, involves peripeteia (reversal of fortune) or anagnorisis (recognition) or both. 

NOT REQUIRED: I've included an article below that gives a good overview of what Aristotle was talking about. I've also included a link to Aristotle's Poetics, in case you're curious to know more. 

Make it Worse . . . 

Characters need problems to solve. 

And if one problem is good—more problems are better. It is  engaging to see characters struggle with obstacles. 

As your play progresses, give your characters more and bigger problems. Make those problems threaten something essential to your characters--a relationship, a sense of self, a reputations, a dream, etc. 

At the end of they play they will either overcome these obstacles, or try and fail.

Here's some ways to make it worse:

Raise the Stakes

• Define the stakes--What do your characters stand to gain or lose? 

• What are you characters willing to risk to get what they want? Make them take the risks!

Add External Pressure

• Ticking Clock: Add a deadline.

• Trapped in an Elevator: Keep characters confined--a blizzard outside, a zombie apocalypse, a locked door.

• Physical pain or impediment, hunger, thirst, etc.

Add Personal and Interpersonal Pressure

• What are your character's flaws? How do they get in their own way?

• Who is counting on your characters? How are others impacted by the failure of your character?

ALL IS LOST

In many stories, the protagonist faces a moment where it seem all is lost--when the obstacles are are too much to overcome, and achieving their goals seems impossible. Is this moment require in a play? No. But there is a reason it's stuck around.
So consider how far you can push your characters. How bad can it get? 

Now make it worse.

Make it lean. Cut the fat. Trim the excess. Find ways to  Tighten. Shorten. Heighten. Distill.

Remove unnecessary scenes . . . lines . . . words . . . syllables.

Look through your script--are there big blocks of text?
Monologues are fine, but use them sparingly.
Leave lots of white space on the page.

Getting Your Work out into the World . . . 

For plays: 

• Limit numbers of actors needed.

• Keep the set simple.

• Write with an eye to the cost of production.

For screenplays:

Know your budget. Screenplays allow for a rich visual world, with multiple locations, special effect, action sequences, etc.  And if you're writing a spec script, or writing a big-budget movie--by all means embrace the possibilities. But if you're writing an indie film, or a short ––write with your budget in mind. Do we need to see the car crash? Or can we see your character at home, recovering from their injuries.
If the key to keeping plays affordable is limiting actors--the key to keeping films affordable is limiting locations.

Perfect your pitch.

For television:

Focus on playwriting first. I can't stress this enough. These days, the best.way to get a seat in a writer's room is to have a play that gets noticed.

For everything:

• Network.

  • Develop and nurture relationships. Be a team player. Show up and follow up.

• Format.

  • Make sure your scripts are industry standard.

• Put yourself and your work out there.

  • Enter contests, reach out to theaters, introduce yourself.

• Be ready--have your pitch, your synopsis, your bio all ready to go.

  • It's infinitely easier to jump on opportunities if you're prepared.