Author Archives: playwrightsmuse
Lessons from reading plays #2: get feedback, and revise, before you submit
So, as you probably know already, I’m a reader for a festival this spring. The more plays I read, the more I think that everyone should do this at least once. It takes a lot of time, which I know … Continue reading
Plots – “Oh, no, what could be worse?”
We all have problems figuring out what happens in our plays. Here’s something I learned in improvisational theater, years ago, that’s helped me develop plots. Ask yourself, how can things be worse for my main character? The first full-length play … Continue reading
Plots – dream up your character’s “best possible outcome”
I’m working on this one play for which I have a bunch of scenes. But I’m having trouble figuring out how it ends. And I’m having trouble figuring out how to get from here (the scenes I have) to there … Continue reading
Stuck with a scene? Write it “inside out”
I was having trouble with this one scene in a play of mine. I wrote two or three different drafts, but I didn’t like any of them. They were too serious, too painful, too risky, too graphic, too real, too… … Continue reading
Lessons from reading plays #1: a simple way to make sure your characters sound different.
I’m a reader for a festival this spring. If I haven’t said this before, I’ll say it now: be a play reader for a festival, theater, or competition. You’ll learn a lot about playwriting. This week, I’m reading this one … Continue reading
How do you easily pick up where you left off with a play?
Coming Back after an Injury I developed a pinched nerve A couple of weeks ago, I developed horrible pain in my left leg from a pinched nerve in my back. L5-S1, if you’re interested. I do not recommend it. For … Continue reading
Accept your characters for who they are
I haven’t been writing much over the past several weeks. Rehearsing for “Spinning into Butter” is taking a lot of time. My First Reaction to the Script of “Spinning into Butter” I’m playing Dean Catherine Kenney. My first reaction when … Continue reading
Plots — More weird sh*t
More “To Do” Lists In my last post, Plots — All the weird sh*t that can happen, I talked about my characters’ “to do” lists. I realized I forgot a few things. Elena – The Curious Grad Student’s “To Do” List … Continue reading
Plots — All the weird sh*t that can happen
I’ve been blogging some about this great playwriting class I took last fall. (Story ideas you never would’ve thought of, Shine some brilliance on the core problem of your play.) I came up with this intriguing, witty, warmhearted story about … Continue reading
Let’s get listed on Doollee.com!
I haven’t submitted “Lessons from Moonshine” in a while. I guess I wasn’t sure where else to send it. But then I remembered something. Doollee.com! A huge online database of play scripts. So I gathered together information about it, and … Continue reading
