Drama dates back to the Greek and Roman empires where tragedies graced stages.
Writing a dramatic play can be quite challenging. Drama for stage is not just about characters, dialogue and stage directions. You have to tell a story -- one that is intense, exciting and vivid. Something different from everyday life, or a dramatization thereof. Within a drama there is structure, giving characters high stakes and high hopes, knowing the motivation and subtext of scenes, as well as events and journeys, all of which you must take into consideration during your process.
Instructions
1. Explore thoughts and ideas for your drama by jotting them down with a pencil in a journal. Ask yourself a series of questions: Why do I want to write this? Why is it important here and now? What do I want to say to my audience? These questions will help you further develop your idea. If you cannot answer them, it may be that you are too close to the subject or you are not that passionate about it, so try several ideas or mold two together.
2. On a computer, write a treatment or outline from the notes you have gathered in your journal. A treatment is used to organize thoughts and develop the text of a script. Most often used for film, a treatment or outline can help with structure for a dramatic play as well. Use the Courier 12-point font. The title should be centered, bold and in present tense. It's good to add key phrases to bring characters alive but you don't need to include dialogue at this point. Less is more but a treatment can run up to 10 pages long.
3. Download a scriptwriting program from a website or purchase one from a computer store. Final Draft, Celtx and ScriptSmart are all programs industry professionals use and recommend. Software makes the process of formatting your script easier. Many of these programs have styles you can choose from since formats and requirements can differ depending on the theater, country or literary agent you have in mind.
4. Craft your play by using structure. Imagine your characters and let them speak to you. Fulfill basic dramatic structure by creating a beginning, middle and end, but more importantly, your characters' needs, obstacles and fulfillment. Your play should reflect who you are and how you think.
5. Write to the pace of one minute per page. The average full-length play, depending on the length of the stage directions, is 90 pages with two acts and one intermission. Therefore, cut the fat. No one wants to read a 190-page script, even if it's epic. Linda Seger, a script consultant and author, best explains rewrite and "cut fat" in her book, "Making A Good Script Great."
6. Read and rewrite. Print a copy of your finished script and read through it. Look for typos and read the script aloud to hear if there is any dialogue you stumble over. You may even want to organize a rehearsed reading involving your friends, your writers' group or trained actors. Then rewrite the script. Rewriting is the most important part of the process. Look at the dialogue. Does it sound awkward? Change it. Ask yourself, does the scene seem to go on for 10 pages and not really carry the story? Delete it. All of it. Be prepared to write 10 or more drafts before you have what most in the industry refer to as a working first draft. This is the draft you can sproducers or directors when seeking more insight and advice.
