Plotting and Planning Together...
Have you ever read Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's "The Children's Hour"? The title of this post comes from a line in the poem that suits the theme of this post-working on the plot of the play. This is where it gets exciting and your imagination can run loose!
Firstly, take out your inspiration and look at it carefully. Do you have an idea for the middle of the play, a dramatic climax, an eccentric character, or an emotional conflict? If you are not sure, close your eyes and think it through for a moment. What do you want this play to be like? Then open your eyes and keep reading this post!
I am going to divide the first part of this post into four parts about starting to write out your plot-beginning from scratch, mid-play, climax, or ending. So let's go!
Starting from scratch-so, you have your idea. I will use my play "Runaway" to illustrate how to work on a play from scratch. So, I'll myself into your shoes. Imagine with me. I have an idea-I want to write a play that is about police officers. I would also like to tie in the message of Jonah, which I have found to be an interesting Bible story. So, I know what I would like to include, but I have no idea what I would like to happen in the play. If I think about it, I might also decide to add in some criminals. After all, I want my police to be kept busy! Jonah was a runaway, so maybe the criminal will be a runaway from the police. And I also like to focus in on the police, so one of them will be a runaway, but for them it will be running away from God. So I have it-a plot line.
Starting from the mid-play includes analyzing what leads up to the scene that you have in mind. Is it emotional scene? Why? What has to happen before the play reaches that part, and what will happen afterwards? Write it down.
Do you have the climax figured out? That is just great! Now you know what you want to work with that! This is a great place to work from in that you can rewind and fast forward to get what you want. What happens before the climax? If your climax is someone accepting Jesus as their Saviour, than you should have them struggling with their beliefs and wanting to ask Jesus into their life in the scenes beforehand. Is someone going to make a life-changing decision? What do they need to go through before they make that decision? Write! After the climax, you will want to end on a high note, so think about having that climax as the last scene. If needed, think about what will come after the climax, and try to present it in a quick fashion as to not let the climax wear off in its importance. However, if you have several climaxes, it is fine to die down for a bit before explosively coming back!
Working from the ending-this is very much like working from the climax. You know what you want the finished result to be-it is like a picture that you are drawing from a photograph. You know what you want to end up with, and all you have to figure out is how to get there! Think about needed changes in the life of your main character, or climaxes that will finally finish in the fashion that you want the play to end.
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So, hopefully I did not lose you above! Now we are going to briefly discuss several elements in the play that are critical-interesting dialogue, conflict that is shown somehow, and action.
Interesting dialogue-I love putting a good dose of humour into my plays! It is so much fun to make those who read the script or watch the play chuckle, or remember that line for a long time! Write understandable jokes into the script (unless that particular character is known for their jokes that make no sense at all!). Also, give each character a personality (we will be talking about characters next week). Maybe jokes will not fit in with your play style, though-my Gypsy play is not meant to be humourous, so I did not make the characters very comical. Decide what style you want the dialect in your play to be, and fix upon it.
Conflict-seriously, you do need a problem for your characters to solve. In my last play that I wrote, a church had to solve the problem of their pastor and deacon being sick. A play that I am going to finish for this website is going to be about a girl struggling with the issue of her recent paralysis. I love writing salvation plays, so often that has been the issue being dealt with. In "Runaway" the issue is going to be about how to stop running away from God. In "Look Out, Look Up" the issue is going to be more about searching for God's will, as well as trusting God, not men. Carefully confirm what you want to be the message of your play, and then decide upon a conflict.
Action-does this go without saying? I am trying to be clear! Plan to have scenes where people will be entering and exiting. You can have family dinners (those can be hectic, right?), church services, shopping mall encounters, and anything else (within the crazy reasoning of a writer!)! Do not be afraid of groups when you think about action. (Hint: this is great for those people who would like to act, but are unsure if they could handle a large part-put them into groups where they say several lines, and get to enjoy a bit of the spotlight!). Start thinking through action. And, hold it! Do not be afraid of emotions. We all have them, and so it is fine to have the actor crying or squealing and rejoicing from the bottom of their heart! Hey, my "playwright" in my last Christmas play was written to represent my writing style when I am having a hard to writing. Her writer's block is an experience of my feelings when trying to write my first Christmas play, and her excitement (squealing) when she gets her idea for the play, is very much like my own reactions. Add your feelings into the play! After all, it is your work of art!
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Now, I will share one of my biggest assets with you. Get a piece of paper, and write a brief description of each scene as you settle upon an idea. Save that paper in a safe place . Voila! You have a skeleton play, to work from when we get to writing the play in two weeks! (Next week is a focus on characters, and then we start writing for real!). Work on this during the next few weeks.
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Please pass this warning onto your family (this is a disclosure from me)-you may go crazy during the next few months. Strange behaviour, exhibiting elation, may happen when you receive those amazing ideas that make you jump up and down, leap around, and scream and squeal, while your family looks at you and wonders if they should call the mental asylum. Do not be alarmed. This behaviour is normal!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Sorry! For some reason this blog has decided that it will NOT turn off the underlining feature!
So, I've already given you all a good idea of what I am going to use in the plot of my plays. I hope that you are all feeling excited about the amazing journey of writing a play. But can I please give you a bit of advice that I use? PRAYER!!!! It is my special ingredient in life, and in writing. I write to glorify God, so I pray that my plays will be the message that HE want to be told and spread by my pencil! It is amazing that God would use ME to work for Him, but He does, and He will use you if only you want to write for Him. So try praying as you write.
As always, let me know how it goes as you work on this next part of the play!
God bless you all!
With blessings,
Indi
John 3:16