Don’t tell instead of show “Show, don’t tell” is a common saying among writers for a good reason. Avoid telling the audience who your characters are or what they do and show them in their words and actions. Example: Tell: Greta is a nerdy tech-wizard. Show: Greta building computers and writing code. Don’t neglect the editing process All writing and theatrical productions need to stay energized and on point. If a scene or musical number is not essential or has an energetic lull to it, cut it. Don’t write flat characters One-note characters are the death of any piece of fiction. Before or during the writing process, create character breakdowns of each character. Each breakdown should include a rough description of the character, what they want, and any obstacle(s) that might prevent them from getting what they want. Example: Ann, age 27, long brown hair, a baby face, a sharp-witted dreamer. On the cusp of 30, she wishes she would have gotten out of her small town sooner, escaping the wrath of her alcoholic Mother and the overbearing obligation of taking care of her chronically ill sister. She wants to move to a big city, find love, and live her life on her own terms, but feels a duty to protect and save her sister from her abusive Mother. Don’t preach Many musicals communicate some sort of lesson to the audience. Avoid having your characters give sermons or lectures about topics or societal problems addressed in the story. Put the characters’ dialogue and actions first and allow the audience to decipher the greater message themselves. Don’t open with a dull musical number The first song should come in with a bang, explaining the context, tone, and offering little hints of what to expect from the story. Examples: “Good Morning, Baltimore” in Hairspray “Too Much Exposition” in Urinetown “At the End of the Day” in Les Miserables Don’t have one-tone musical numbers Avoid having one ballad after another or similar song structures back-to-back. Keep the audience on their toes about what kind of musical number might come next. One way to do this is to break up the tempo and flow of songs, allowing moments where actors have dialogue during musical numbers. This might involve speak-sing dialogue or scenes where characters move seamlessly between spoken word, dance, and song. Examples: “Keep It Gay” in The Producers “If I Loved You” in Carousel Don’t randomly place musical numbers Save songs for the emotional highs and lows of the storyline, using music to enhance the character’s thoughts and feelings around some event. Avoid creating songs and placing them in random, ho-hum, or less intensive plot points “just because.” Don’t have redundant lyrics and dialogue Avoid having your characters sing and say the same thing; either sing or say it but not both. The musical numbers should advance the tone and purpose of the scene without merely restating what has already been said (unless the repeated phrases offers a different understanding or point of enlightenment for your characters).