I’ve just spent the last 3 weeks working on a play that will be staged on December 6 & 7.  It’s one of the annual productions I do around the Christmas season.  With these productions, I cast the play first before writing anything as the actors come from a group of volunteers.  I then create a play around the people I cast and write to each person’s strength/ personality.

There is no right way to start writing a script.  Some writers don’t brainstorm much when they begin their first draft; 3, 4 pages of notes and onto the script. I am not one of those writers.  Before I write a word of dialogue, I write pages and pages on themes I want to explore; various plot points, settings and character types.  I spend more time brainstorming ideas then I do the actual writing of the script.  When it comes time to write the script, it practically writes itself as my extensive notes guide me.  Some writers find writing too many notes inhibits their creativity.  I find if I don’t write enough notes, it inhibits mine.  I wrote this recent play in 6 days, all hand-written (this is how I usually write). In the last couple days, I put the script aside, let it breathe before I read it through twice again.   I may have lots of notes before starting, but ideas evolve and new ones come up as the script is written and the characters assert themselves and begin to inform the story.   That’s what I find exciting about writing (and life I suppose), it’s an unexpected journey filled with twists and turns that you cannot always plan for. 

The play remains untitled as it is still a first draft and needs a lot more editing and reworking.  But I can tell you that it is made up of 9 characters and explores several themes with the main theme on the subject of courage (or lack of it).  The play has a mix of drama and quirky comedy with music sprinkled throughout.  So, I move onto typing the script and along the way crating a better play.  Who knows where the  journey takes me.