Ms. Gokturk

Writing for the 21^st Century

Common Errors in Play Writing

• Make sure that your stage directions are in round parentheses and italicized to distinguish them from the rest. (Sighs.)
• Your stage directions should follow all the other rules of sentences. Be sure to capitalize if it is the beginning of a sentence and put a period if it is standing alone. Incorporate your action where you want it to occur, not before or after.
• (Stands up slowly.) I think I am going to break out into song now. (He grabs a fedora hat and starts kicking like a chorus girl. He begins to sing.) One, singular sensation!
• I get so frustrated (bangs her hand on the desk) when people do that!
• Commas, oh, commas! When addressing another person or thing, slap a comma after their name:
• Mom, can I have three thousand dollars for a makeover?
• Oh, Table-top, Table-top, you are so slick…
• Exclamations like special attention, too. Give them a comma designation or exclamation mark:
• Well, I like mine rare.
• Ew! You are so gross! You probably like raw eggs.
• Yikes, how did you know?
• Why so many wells? Even though you may think this adds to realism, plays are organized constructions of reality, so don’t bombard your speakers with tons of verbal tics, unless it is intentional:
• Well, Bob, I, uh, well, I like her. I mean, I, well, er, you know….
• Well, Jane, how are you?
• Well, Stevie, I am fine.
• Well, that’s good.
• Scene changes à ZAM! I think there was a laser beam of high energy… How did we switch that actor and scene set so quickly?
• Remember, this is a play, not a movie. Consider the scenery changes and actors’ movements. Scenes should flow into one another naturally as well as dramatically, but this is hard to do if we have a scene change every five seconds, or if an actor has to maneuver into a whole new zone. Keep these factors in mind.
• Trains, planes, and automobiles. Tough to bring on stage. Remember, you aren’t Quentin Tarantino with a camera. You have a LIVE audience!
• BOLD YOUR SPEAKERS and SKIP A LINE BETWEEN EACH SPEAKER.
• Bob: I hate all this detail. Why can’t I just write?
• Remember, don’t BORE your audience. While many of us watch reality television, even that’s edited. Editors seek out “meaningful” blurbs, dialogue, etc. Ask yourself, does this help advance my story along in a n interesting way?
• BACKSTORY: Along the same lines, you don’t need to include EVERYTHING. Ask yourself, “Can some of this be recapped with a simple statement later?”
• Olga: Fabian, do you remember that time my mother made me walk home from the mall? I swear, she’s evil.