playwriting 211

Playwriting/DramaChapter 5

The Portable MFA in Creative Writing

Playwriting/DramaChapter 5

The Portable MFA in Creative Writing

Creative Writing ENG 211

Why Write a Play?• One reason to write a play is to

change the world.

• Plays are often well received if the audience have knowledge of the subject matter of the play.

The Subject• The subject can be anything.• It has to be about people who

struggle so they can relate. • Must set up an objective and an

obstacle in order to create dramatic conflict.

• The conflict must be pushed to its furthest believable extreme.

The Subject Continued• The characters must be able to

obtain urgency to pursue and objective, or their failure should have resounding psychic and emotional implications and universal ramifications.

• Along the way there should be a few reversals and revelations.

The Subject Continued• “Through the plot twists, the

dramatic tension builds until the writer gets to the unpredictable, climactic ending that, in hindsight, was inevitable from the start.”

The Premise• Need to understand what the

subject will be, what he/she will do, and what he/she will face.

• The objective is to be fraught with obstacles the character has to confront and maybe overcome.

Theatricality• The difference with plays is that

change and transformation can occur right in front of the audience’s eyes without any tricks or pyrotechnics.

• Writers must write with the story being a play and not a movie or TV show because the writing is specific to its genre.

The Process• The play will often change as it is

written because there may be choices made that do not work, so you must be willing to go back and get it right.

• Once the play is written, finishing can often be one of the most difficult parts because some writers have a hard time brining things to a close or figuring how it should close.

Keep It Simple Stupid• It is important to keep the play

with an understandable and simple premise but keep the premise urgent, present, as well as clear.

• Make sure this does not mean to dummy something down or make it too simplistic.

Continued• If the play seems to be taking a

different directions, it does not mean the writer cannot change the destination.

• Many writer begin with the end because if they know where they are going to end up, then figuring out where to start and how to get there.

Continued • The basic concepts of dramatic

structure should be used.• It is best to write the first draft as

quickly as possible in order to get the information down so that there is at least a skeleton of the story to work off of and rework.

Setting• The setting should be clearly

described and kept as simple as possible so that there is no room for interpretation.

• The lack of interpretation will make sure what the writer envisioned as the setting to be what he/she wanted.

Craft and Structure• The goal is to absorb and put to

use the dramatic structure so that it does not give the reader the impression of being artificially put into the play.

• This structure will become the basics of what the writer will place thoughts, feelings, ideas, and insights.

Craft and Structure Continued.

• Plays must have universal and comprehensible information for all viewers with aspects that come from life in general.

• There is clearly a beginning, middle, and end like all stories.

Craft and Structure Continued

• The basics of craft are: dramatic structure, character development, objectives, and stakes.

The Basic Elements of Dramatic Writing

• The writers job is to dramatize some type of conflict that stems from the character’s desire to act on an urgent want, need, or desire—basically the character’s objectives.

• Objectives should be specific and concrete.

The Basic Elements of Dramatic Writing Cont.• Basically stated: Objectives + Obstacles= Conflict• Conflict is created by interaction

between a character’s dramatic action and the obstacles to his objective.

The Basic Elements of Dramatic Writing Cont. • In order to succeed at play writing,

the individual must be able to embrace, build, and manipulate conflict within the drama.

• Dramatic action is not physical activities onstage.

How Not to Dramatize Conflict

• Do not have characters given exposition of past events that do not tie into the objectives or obstacles they are facing.

• Do not put in characters or scenes that do not take the dramatic action forward.

How Not to Dramatize Conflict Continued

• Do not have the characters refer to offstage characters that do not relate the scene taking place on stage at the time.

• The central character needs to act upon the world around him/her.

Character• Sometimes is it easiest to build

characters off of the individuals that the writer already knows because what they sound like and how they act. This makes them more believable and the motivation understandable.

• Characters may also be bits and pieces of different people or a combination of real and fictional people.

Character Continued• The individual writing the play

must love the characters he/she creates or at least be able to put his/herself in the character’s shoes or it comes off as just being a vendetta against the individual. This could make the character very one-sided and flat.

Character Continued• The characters will preform tasks

and speak words that will further the plot as well as revealing their thoughts and feelings.

• They must serve a purpose.

Monologue• The monologue is a combination

of stage directions and the onstage presence of another character who does not speak.

• It is when one character speaks for an extended period of time without being interrupted.

Constructing the Scene• The friction created when the

dramatic elements of objective and obstacle collide the is where drama is created.

• When the character’s goal for meeting an objective is impeded by some obstacle in his/her way, the conflict will result on how he/she revolves the situation.

Constructing a Scene Continued

• There are three ways to resolve an obstacle:– The objective is achieved– The objective is not achieved– The objective is rendered irrelevant

or superseded by a new objective.


• Each scene should answer one dramatic question that leads the reader into a new question that raises the stakes for the character(s).

• A scene has several dramatic beats—or small dramatic units.


• Every scene must have dramatic tension—what happens when the character confronts an obstacle in pursuit of his/her ultimate objective.

• In order to keep the tension going, the writer must find a way to raise the stakes for the character that stop him/her from achieving the objective become increasingly urgent.


• In order to increase the urgency, the writer needs to make the objective more personal, specific, or necessary for the character’s well-being.

• There is also a tension of opposites, which is the conflict between what the character hopes and fears.

• The tension of opposites should be in every scene. As hope builds, fear increases.

Dialogue• Dialogue contains all the basic

elements of scene where the reader can identify an objective, an obstacle, and a raising of dramatic tension.

• There may also be a reversal where the conflict is caused from the relationship between two characters where the relationship shifts at the end of the scene.

Dialogue Continued• All dialogue must have dramatized

conflict.• All writers must use dialogue to

develop character, instigate conflict, convey dramatic action, provide exposition, and dramatize subtext.

Dramatizing Exposition and Creating Subtext

• Exposition establishes provides the audience with the vital information that contextualizes the events that occurred before the present scene that may have contained the conflict the occurs in present time.


Continued • “Good exposition elevates the

urgency of a scene’s dramatic conflict and interacts with the character’s objective.” MFA pg. 259

• Bad exposition prevents the conflict from being clearly presented and drains tension from a scene.

Dramatizing Exposition and Creating Subtext Continued

• Exposition can add fuel to the dramatic conflict, help to move the story development along, raise the stakes for the protagonist, and increase the tension between the opposite characters.

• Any information that the writer feels is important should be stated at least twice.


Continued • Subtext is the unconscious,

instinctive, and subtle unspoken objectives that lurk just beneath the surface of what is clearly stated or explicit. It is part of our everyday lives.

• It activates the drama by creating emotional urgency to both superficial and tangible events or circumstances.

Dramatic Reversals• “Reversals increase the urgency of

the dramatic action by turning it in a new direction.” MFA pg. 262

• They are very useful in propelling the story forward and showing character development through the dramatic conflict that arises.

Dramatic Reversals Continued

• They occur when the character attains his/her objective only to realize things are completely opposite what they were thought to be true.

Revision • Anything that does not fuel the

dramatic conflict or move the story forward to completion should be cut.

• Every scene should have an objective and an obstacle.

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