How to write a script for a play

In this article: Create ideas for your story Decide on the structure of the play Write the play

You have an idea for a play script, maybe a good one. You want to expand it into a
comedic or dramatic plot, but how? Although you may want to throw yourself into writing,
your play will be much stronger if you spend a lot of time planning your story before
starting your first draft. Once you've brainstormed your story and sketched your structure,
writing the play will seem like a much less daunting task.

Part 1

Create ideas for your story

Decide the kind of story you want to tell. Although every story is different, most
plays fall into categories that help audiences understand how to interpret the
relationships and events they see. Think about the characters you want to write and
then consider how you want their stories to develop.

o Will they have to solve a mystery?

o Will they go through a series of difficult events in order to achieve personal
growth?
o Will they mature, making a transition from childlike innocence to
sophisticated experience?
o Will they embark on a journey, like Odysseus's dangerous journey in The
Odyssey ?
o Will they bring order to chaos?
o Will they overcome a series of obstacles to achieve a goal?

Brainstorm the basic parts of your narrative arc. The narrative arc is the
progression of the work through the beginning, middle, and end. The technical
terms for these three parts are exposition, rising dramatic tension, and resolution,
and they always come in that order. Regardless of how long your play is or how
many acts it has, a good play will develop all three pieces of this puzzle. Take notes
on how you want to flesh out each of them before you sit down to write your piece.

Decide what has to be included in the exhibition. The exposition begins the play by
providing the basic information needed to follow the story: when and where does this story
take place? Who is the main character? Who are the supporting characters, including the
antagonist (the person who presents the central conflict for the main character), if you have
one? What is the central conflict that these characters will face? What is the mood of this
work (comedy, romantic drama, tragedy)?

Transition from exposition to rising dramatic tension. In the increasing dramatic

tension, events unfold in a way that makes circumstances more difficult for the
characters. The central conflict becomes clearer as events raise the audience's
tension higher and higher. This conflict can be with another character (the
antagonist), with an external condition (war, poverty, separation from a loved one)
or with oneself (having to overcome one's own insecurities, for example). The
increasing dramatic tension culminates in the climax of the story; the moment of
highest tension, when the conflict reaches a critical point.

Decide how the conflict will be resolved. The resolution releases the tension of the
climactic conflict to finish the narrative arc. It can have a happy ending, where the
main character gets what he wants; a tragic ending, where the audience learns
something from the main character's failure; or an outcome, in which all the

Understand the difference between plot and story. The plot of your play is made
up of the plot and the story; two discrete elements that must be developed together
to create a play that holds the audience's attention. The English novelist E. M.
Forster defined story as what happens in the play; the chronological development of
events. On the other hand, the plot can be thought of as the logic that links the
events that develop throughout the plot and that makes them emotionally powerful.
This is an example of the difference between the two:

o Story: the protagonist's girlfriend broke up with him. Then the protagonist
lost his job.
o Plot: the protagonist's girlfriend broke up with him. Distraught, he had an
emotional breakdown at work that resulted in him being fired.
o You must develop a story that is captivating and moves the action of the
play quickly enough to retain the audience's attention. At the same time, you
should show how the actions are casually linked throughout the development
of the plot. This is how you make the audience care about the events that are
happening on stage.

Develop the story. You can't intensify the emotional resonance of the plot until you
have a good story. Answer the following questions to brainstorm basic story
elements before fleshing them out in your writing:

o Where does the story take place?

o Who is the protagonist (the main character) and who are the important
supporting characters?
o What is the central conflict that these characters will have to deal with?
o What is the "inciting incident" that begins the main action of the play and
leads to the central conflict?
o What happens to the characters as they deal with this conflict?
o How is the conflict resolved at the end of the story? How does this impact
the characters?

Deepen the story with plot development. Remember that the plot develops the
relationship between all the story elements mentioned in the previous step. When
 thinking about the plot, you should try to answer the following questions: What are
the relationships between the characters?

o How do the characters interact with the central conflict? Who is most
impacted by this conflict and how does it affect them?
o How can you structure the story (the events) to bring the necessary
characters into contact with the central conflict?
o What is the logical and causal progression that makes each event lead to the
next, building a continuous flow towards the climax and resolution of the
story?

Part 2

Decide the structure of the work

Start with a one-act play if you're new to play writing. Before writing the piece,
you should have an idea of how you want to structure it. A one-act play runs
directly from beginning to end without any intermission and is a good starting point
for people who are new to writing plays. Examples of one-act plays are The
Altarpiece of Wonders by Miguel de Cervantes and The Wedding of the Petty
Bourgeois by Bertolt Brecht. Although a one-act play has the simplest structure,
remember that all stories need a narrative arc with exposition, rising dramatic
tension, and resolution.

o Because one-act plays have no intermissions, they require simpler sets and
costume changes. Keep your technical needs simple.

Don't limit the length of your one-act play. The one-act structure has no
relationship to the length of the play. These works can vary widely in length, with
some productions lasting up to just 10 minutes and others lasting over an hour.

o " Flash dramas " are very short one-act plays that can last anywhere from a
few seconds to around 10 minutes. They are great for community or school
theater performances, as well as competitions specifically for this type of
play. Read The Boy Who Wanted to Be Alone by César de León as an
example of a " flash drama ."

Allow yourself more complex scenarios with a two-act play. The two-act play is
the most common structure in contemporary theater. Although there is no rule for
how long each act should last, they generally last around half an hour, giving the
audience a break with an intermission between them. The intermission gives the
audience time to go to the bathroom or simply relax, think about what has
happened, and discuss the conflict that was presented in the first act. However, it
also allows the crew to make considerable changes to the set, costumes and makeup.
Intermissions generally last around 15 minutes, so keep your team's homework
reasonable for that amount of time.
 o For examples of two-act plays, read Hölderlin by Peter Weiss or
Homecoming by Harold Pinter.

Adapt the plot to fit the two-act structure. The two-act structure changes more
than just the amount of time the team has to make technical adjustments. Because
the audience has a break in the middle of the play, you can't treat the story as one
fluid story. You should structure it around the intermission to leave the audience
tense and on edge at the end of the first act. When they return from intermission,
they must once again engage in the rising dramatic tension of the story.

o The “inciting incident” should occur about halfway through the first act,
after the background exposition.
o Follow the inciting incident with multiple scenes that increase the audience's
tension, whether dramatic, tragic or comedic. These scenes should build
toward a point of conflict that will end the first act.
o The first act ends just after the point of highest tension in the story up to that
point. The audience will be left wanting more at intermission and will return
eagerly for the second act.
o Start the second act at a lower point of tension than the point where you left
the first act. You must gently usher the audience back into the story and its
conflict.
o Features multiple scenes in the second act that raise the stakes of the conflict
toward the climax of the story, or the point of highest tension and conflict,
just before the end of the play.
o It relaxes the audience towards the end with the decreasing dramatic tension
and resolution. Although not all plays require a happy ending, the audience
should feel that the tension you have built throughout the play has been
released.

Temper the pace of longer, more complex plots with a three-act structure. If you're
new to playwriting, you may need to start with a one- or two-act play, because a full three-
act play can keep an audience in their seats for two hours. It takes a lot of experience and
skill to put on a production that can captivate an audience for that long, so you may need to
set your sights on something smaller at first. However, if the story you want to tell is
complex enough, a three-act play might be your best option. Just like the two-act play, the
three-act play allows for considerable changes in scenery, costumes, etc., during
intermissions between acts. Each act of the play must achieve its own narrative objective:

o The first act is exposition: take your time introducing the characters and
background. Make the audience care about the main character (the
protagonist) and their situation to ensure a strong emotional reaction when
things start to go wrong. The first act should also present the problem that
will develop throughout the rest of the play.
o The second act is complication: the stakes for the protagonist increase as the
problem becomes more difficult to navigate. A good way to raise the stakes
in the second act is to reveal an important piece of information near the
 climax of the act. This revelation must instill doubt in the protagonist's mind
before he finds the strength to fight his way through the conflict toward
resolution. The second act must end with discouragement and the
protagonist's plans in ruins.
o The third act is the resolution: the protagonist overcomes the obstacles of the
second act and finds a way to reach the conclusion of the play. Take note
that not all works have happy endings; the hero may die as part of the
resolution, but the audience must learn something from it.
o Some examples of three-act plays include The Speculator by Honoré de
Balzac and Yerma by Federico García Lorca.

Part 3

Write the play

Make a sketch of the acts and scenes. In the first two sections of this article, you
brainstormed the narrative arc, the development of the story and plot, and the
structure of the work. Now, before sitting down to write the work, you must capture
all these ideas in an orderly sketch. For each act, state what happens in each scene.

o When are the important characters introduced?

o How many different scenes do you have and what specifically happens in
each one?
o Make sure the events of each scene lead into the next for plot development.
o When would you need changes of scenery? Wardrobe changes? Take these
types of technical elements into consideration when sketching how
o Give body to the sketch by writing the work. Once you have the sketch,
you can write your real work. Just get the basic dialogue on the page first
without worrying about how natural it sounds or how the actors will move
around the stage or how they will deliver their performances. In the first
draft, you should simply "put white on black," as the French writer Guy de
Maupassant said.

Work on creating a natural dialogue. You need to give your actors a solid script
so they can deliver the lines in a way that feels human, real, and emotionally
powerful. Record yourself reading the dialogue from your first draft out loud, and
then listen to the recording. Take note of places where you sound robotic or too
posh. Remember that even in literary plays, characters have to sound like normal
people. They shouldn't sound like they're giving fancy speeches when they're
complaining about their jobs at the table.

Allow conversations to go on tangents. When you're talking to your friends, you

rarely stick to a single topic with focused concentration. While in a play the
conversation should lead the characters to the next conflict, you should allow for
small distractions to make it feel realistic. For example, in a discussion about why
the protagonist's girlfriend broke up with him, there may be a two- or three-line
 sequence in which the speakers argue about how long they had originally been
dating.

Includes interruptions in dialogue. Even when we're not being rude, people
interrupt each other in conversations all the time, even if it's just to express support
with a "I get it, buddy" or a "No, you're totally right." People also interrupt
themselves by changing course within their own sentences: "I just... I mean, I don't
really mind driving there on a Saturday, it's just that... Listen, I've just been working
really hard lately."

o Don't be afraid to use sentence fragments either. Although we are taught to

never use fragments in writing, we use them all the time when we speak: “I
hate dogs. To all".

Add notes. Directions allow actors to understand your vision of what is unfolding on stage.
Use italics or brackets to distinguish stage directions from spoken dialogue. While actors
will use their own creative license to bring your words to life, some specific directions you
can give are:

o Conversation Entries: [long, awkward silence]

o Physical actions: [Silas stands up and paces back and forth nervously] ,
[Margarita bites her nails]
o Emotional states: [Anxiously] , [Enthusiastically] , [Picks up the dirty shirt
as if it disgusts him]

Rewrite the draft as many times as necessary. You're not going to hit the nail on
the head with the first draft. Even experienced writers have to write several drafts of
a work before they are satisfied with the final product. Do not rush! With each pass,
add more details that help bring your production to life.

o Even as you add details, remember that the delete key can be your best
friend. As American journalist Donald Murray says, you must "cut away the
bad to reveal the good." Remove all dialogue and events that do not add
emotional resonance to the work.
o American novelist Elmore Leonard's advice also applies to plays: "Try to
remove the part that readers tend to omit."

Tips
 Most plays are set in specific times and places, so be consistent. A character in the
1930s could make a call or send a telegram, but could not watch television.
 Check the sources at the end of this article to find the correct format for plays and
follow established guidelines.
 Make sure you always keep the action moving. If you forget a dialogue when giving
a presentation, make one up! Sometimes it's even better than the original dialogue!
  Read the script aloud to a small audience. Plays are based on words, and that power
or lack thereof becomes quickly obvious when spoken.
 Don't leave the work in a secret place. Try to make it known that you are a writer!
 Write many drafts, even if you are happy with the first thing you write.

Warnings
 The theater world is full of ideas, but make sure your approach to a story is original.
Stealing someone else's story is not only immoral, but you will almost definitely get
caught.
 Protect your work. Make sure the title page includes your name and the year you
wrote the work, preceded by the copyright symbol.