When writing a play you should ask yourself if you are going to write on a recognized central theme or will the story twist and turn until you get to the unexpected. Obviously getting to the unexpected is more appealing than delving into the predictable. If everything is spelled out for the audience in terms of spoken dialogue or information that is too easily accessible then the play quickly becomes boring.
Dialogue has to be sparse because it is the force of words that is important and the drama of a scene as opposed to the number of words. If the play is on a legal case then the author might like to relaete if the main character is being interviewed or questioned. One wnats to create an image so that the audience will not know where the blame is going to land. An urgency out to be developed so that a prospective public will want to see that the hero receive justice in a timely manner.
That urgency could be had while other characters are introduced and one wants to know how they are implicated in the trial. A girl can be thrown into the mix having been involved with the hero and romance always has an appeal. A dilemma has to be created to get the story moving forward to creat a dynamic play. No momentum can be had if we don't help the protagonist along or hinder him.The writer should ask how important is success in the play, one wouldn't want to be deluded into thinking that mediocrity is going to win over the reader.But the question is whether you want to start with success or end with it.
Is the character going to be put into a horrendous situation where the reader is going to have to catch up with how he got there or is it more important for the antagonist to take the lead in story. We want to know what the forces are behind the story. We all look for somebody to lead us the way.as a result we may see that the main character is after freedom and is impeded throughout the story where his opponents are seen as blocking his success. The writer has to consider how to please the audience before getting into the mind frame of whether it is going to be noted for originality. Many a writer is going to be deluded by not getting instant success and will even envy others. The key is to endure because of the countless ways the same story can be told.Meanwhile, as the plays proceeds the public asks themselves questions as to what keeps the girl and guy together. Is it due to his initiative or vice-versa?
Will there be an eventual break-up or reconciliation?And in the meantime we find out what the definition of success would be for the hero.If the driving force of the play is a woman's battle with anorexia then the public will want to know what her reasons for being are. Is she wanting to please her film agent so much that she sees herself as fat no matter what she does? Or is she just tormented at never being able to catch the right guy, for whatever right might be.Adding too much dialogue will be leading the characters and the writer should want to lead them If the play is on something political or historical a certain amount of research has to be done before pen to paper. The research shouldn't drag on and the writer shouldn't want to procrastinate.
An ideal situation occurs when the writer and director collaborate together so that director respects what the writer had in mind. Such co-operation is not always present especially when both writer and director have different schedules or of course if the new playwright is writing an interpretation of an older story. The more the writer knows about who his character is, and how he wants him to move along in the play the better the final piece will be.
