Q&A for How to Write a Play Script

Using a writing software can be really helpful if you've never formatted a script before. You can also go online and look at examples of other scripts to get an idea of what the formatting should look like.

Yes, anyone can write a script! If you put your mind to it and really commit to doing it, you definitely can. You don't necessarily have to go to school or have formal training first, although a lot of people do.

Make it as though the characters have just met. Something as simple as having something in common triggers their connection. Intense, stressful, life-or-death situations typically hasten connection, so you might think in that direction. Then simply let yourself script-writing skills do the work, making sure that there are not too many obstacles for them to overcome to make their relationship strong.

If you're happy with the first draft, give it to other people to read. It may be that you've lost your objectivity and need some assistance to find what isn't working. Or, you're a Shakespeare and you hit on the head first write. Either way, it never hurts to get other people's perspectives and constructive feedback.

Start with the characters, a problem, a solution, and a setting. Maybe it will be about a kid who just hates school, and misbehaves in the classroom. At the end, there are consequences, and the kid learns that school is the key to success.

The best script comes from the first thought of a story that grips your attention and urges you to write it down almost immediately.You can best explain your own experiences and this may result in the best of scripts. However, if your experiences are very similar to everyone's, it may not end up being a great script.

Be concise with your plot - condense the climax so it can occur in one act with a short introduction and resolution or summation at the end.

Yes, if the character is mentioned in the play.

You have to set up a conflict of some kind, like an argument or a love triangle. Maybe something happens between the main character and their best friend to make them enemies.

Just put a name then a comma then also add your other name. For example; Kady, Sam - Hey Bryan!

In the script, identify the character you want to sneeze just like you would if the character had a line to say, but instead of a writing a line for the character to speak, write "(sneezes)" exactly where you want the character to sneeze.

Yes, of course! Your play can be as long as you want it to be.

You could find a friend who does write songs - many musicals are written with a separate playwright, lyric writer, and songwriter. Don't feel like you have to do everything yourself!

Just begin writing. You will eventually come back to edit it, so it doesn't need to be perfect. Just start writing.

Call in a casting director to hold auditions to hire the best actors and actresses.

You can add a new scene whenever something new is happening on stage.

There is no rule of thumb. One play will differ greatly from another. Just keep writing until your story is told. Generally speaking, the less "wordy" your characters are, the more dramatic the effect (and the easier it is for your audience to follow along).

Try acting it out with friends. Take notes, and then rewrite it as your characters' dialogue. If you're looking for ideas, try casually eavesdropping in public places.

Get together with a group of friends, family, etc. and ask them about tourism problems in Jordan, or else call the tourism bureau and ask for their help. Take notes on the information you get, then change it around to make the tone more conversational ("Hey, Bill, have you heard that people don't want to travel to Jordan because of the poor transportation system?" "Sure, Bob, I've also heard people are concerned about escalating crime rates."). Make it interesting and productive by having your actors suggest solutions to these problems.

Describe each person by looking into their lives separately. Then at some point, have their worlds merge into one by having them meet.

Yes, but makeup should be kept light and natural.

Start with a person who has a struggle of sorts, then demonstrate how meditation guides the person to solve this struggle.

You're the writer, and you can do what you want. However, publishers and producers are interested only in plays that can captivate an audience, and it would be very hard to do that in a single page of dialogue and/or action.

You could start with the victim running from the murderer, or with the body being discovered, or at the victim's last moments.

Look up prompt ideas and then transform them into your own ideas. You can also look up on here how to get rid of writer's block.

Read other plays and books for inspiration. This will give you an idea for different characters. You can even base them off people you know. Try to avoid stereotypes and give your character traits that make them unique. For example, one of the characters in something I'm writing has diabetes. The story would be complete without that, but it makes her more unique.

It's a good idea to pick out main ideas and important scenes, lines, or actions from the book, and then just follow these instructions for your play. A play does not have to include everything that happens in the book, and it is okay to add parts if you feel these additions or subtractions make it more developed, interesting, and intriguing.

Yes. In fact, a lot of the time the writer is the protagonist! Don't be afraid to join in your own play - it makes it better and easier for others to understand and act out, since you know what you want people to have happen and do.