How to write a prize-winning play
Opportunities for budding playwrights are now more plentiful than ever, but how do you make your play stand out from the rest? Catherine Love shares playwriting tips from the winner and runners-up of last year’s Papatango New Writing Competition…
Get inspired
You’ve decided that you’re going to write a play – what now? Dawn King, who won the Papatango
New Writing Competition with her play Foxfinder, admits that “once
you’ve learnt your craft, having an idea is the hardest bit”. But the
worst thing you can do is just stare at a blank Word document waiting
for that light bulb moment.
“The main thing is that if you’re trying to have an idea it’s
actually quite hard to have one,” says King, “so if I’m trying to have
an idea I tend to do something else.” Try taking a break and getting out
of the house; you’re far more likely to find inspiration away from the
computer screen.
Let your characters drive the plot
Plenty of advice has been written about plotting plays, but it is
best to let the plot be guided by your own characters and ideas rather
than by a set of textbook rules. Competition runner-up Matt Morrison
prefers to think of a play’s structure “in terms of patterns and
permutations”. He explains that one of the best ways to move the plot
forward is to make your characters interact with one another in
different combinations and scenarios. “A small amount of plotting will
actually get you quite a long way.”.....
Read more here.
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