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Q:  Without letting anyone into who you are because it makes you feel weak or insecure, how can you keep yourself guarded?

A:  Part of your question is missing, because the answer, as you have asked the question, is simply not to write your play in the first place.  The part you haven't said is that you DO want to write a play!  Assuming that, then you must face the fact that art is about Truth (I always capitalize Truth in that context.)  If there are parts of you that you don't want to reveal, then don't put a character in your play and give them your name and all your traits!  Keep in mind that a play is a fiction, and if you write about a murderer, it does not imply that you are a murderer!  If you write about a young woman who hates her sister, it does not imply that you hate your sister.  Etc.  Your job is to write a play that reveals Truth, and not just truth, but YOUR Truth, i.e., the way you see the world.  You simply cannot avoid that responsibility and call yourself an artist.  There is no reason to keep yourself guarded, because your "self" as an artist is no more nor less than your Truth.

Q.  How do you avoid giving different characters the same voice?  Making sure the vocabulary and tone of person is not speaking just from the playwright?

A.  There's no substitute for observing people in real life and noting the different ways people communicate.  Then when you write your dialogue, you can refer to your real-life observations.  Almost everybody is able to communicate quite effectively, even though one character might have a smaller or larger vocabulary, use different idiomatic expressions, and have different life experiences to refer to.

Q.  In regards to stage direction, how can you tell how much is too much/not enough.  How do you guide the actors but give them and the director space to interpret the text?

A.  It's sometimes hard to separate writing your play from trying to direct it through stage directions.  First, be aware that the published plays you have read are usually transcriptions of the stage manager's copy of the Broadway production.  They contain all the stage business, crosses from left to right, light cues, etc. for that production, including a description of the set.  This is NOT the way the playwright wrote the play.  You should include ONLY business that is essential to the meaning of the play, NOT the way you envision it on the stage.  For example, you would write SARAH ENTERS, but you would not put SARAH ENTERS FROM STAGE LEFT.  You would not include any business like COURTNEY TAKES A DEEP BREATH AND LOOKS AT JELLYROLL -- that kind of stuff is for the actors and director to work out.  Your set description would be "A working class kitchen in Brooklyn."  The set designer, not you, will study your play carefully and work out what needs to be in that kitchen.  In general, when you feel you need a stage direction, ask yourself, "Could this be done any other possible way and still communicate the meaning?  If so, leave it out and let the director do his job!

Q.  In regards to dramatic action, how would a lie fit in?  Would the lie itself suffice as "dramatic action" or would it be the way in which one lies -- the reasoning behind the lies.

A.  A lie is not a dramatic action, but like any line of dialogue, it can CONVEY dramatic action.  A lie might convey the action "tricks" or "assuages," but could be another action as well.  The clue here is that "lies" is NOT a transitive verb.  That is, BILL lies FRED doesn't make sense.  BILL assuages FRED (by lying to him) does make sense.

Q.  Would getting into your character help you to write the piece and keep its consistency?

A.  I think "getting into your character" could mean different things, but I have found that when I'm not feeling very clear about a character's motivations and not getting much of a mental picture of them, it can be helpful to write a character sketch.  That forces you to answer questions about the character, and it can help crystallize them for you.

Q.  Often I can write something down when I know what to write, but I usually struggle in finding a novel plot.  How can I improve my creativity so it doesn't become so stressful to begin with?

A.  Something that has worked for me is to try switching genres.  For example, I was having trouble with the story element of my play -- it was full of good dialogue, I felt, but it didn't seem to tell a coherent story very effectively.  Finally I tried just writing it as a story, and it helped.  (In my case, story was an ongoing problem, so I took a break from playwriting and wrote stories for a while, and it did help me with that problem.)  I also think you may need creative outlets other than playwriting.  The stress you experience might be because  that struggle to find a novel plot is a losing battle!  Try writing it as a poem, or drawing it as a pencil sketch, or writing it as a song.  In other words, it may not be a play this time, and you don't need to have that stress in the way of the genuine play that's lurking in there behind your current idea.

Q.  All of my stories follow a similar theme.  Should I try to diversify my works or just write to my advantage?

A.  The fact that you ask this question suggests that you might feel you have been repeating yourself, but I would not even worry about that.  You could be feeling that you haven't said everything you want to say within this theme.  In which case, I say keep after it!  Just don't get into the perfectionist's trap of thinking you have to keep writing about the same thing until you get it right.  No, when a new idea comes along, go with that.

Q.  Is it okay to create characters with traits you've never personally seen/experienced?

A.  It would be very difficult not to!  A huge part of playwriting (and any art) is the use of your imagination.  I've never killed anybody, but I've been angry enough to feel the urge to do some serious damage.  It's not that much of a leap, then, to imagine someone who does murder.  The trick is to base your character on the things you do know and extrapolate in a reasonable manner so that the character is believable.  If you've never experienced anything at all like the character you want to write, then you just have to resort to some good old-fashioned research.

Q.  How would you craft a compelling plot?  Is it always necessary to write out a plot sketch or plan prior to writing?

A.  Let's define a plot as the string of events in the play that each happen as a consequence of the prior event, the first event being something that upsets an existing equilibrium and dictates further action.  How strongly it dictates further action will determine how compelling it is.  Romeo and Juliet fall irrevocably in love in an equilibrium that includes their respective families hating each other.  That upsets the equilibrium, right?  How compellingly?  Well, very compellingly, because the love is irrevocable!  Consequently, they meet clandestinely... and because of that, there's a sword fight... and because of that... etc.  The last event in the plot is the thing that returns that particular "world" to some kind of equilibrium -- in this case, two dead lovers, so those families ought to be ashamed of themselves. 

As for writing out the plot, I think it is a huge help.  My suggestion is for you to write out the story you want to tell in an informal, present tense, one or two pages or whatever it takes.  "Romeo and Juliet

see each other at a dance and sparks fly.  They have to see each other.  Romeo sneaks into her garden and waits for her to come out on her balcony..."  etc.  This is an easy way to see the whole story and make adjustments until you can read it through and it really seems to be a complete story.  Call this your scenario, and take your time on it and get it like you want it.  Then think about the order in which you would show this story unfolding.  Write down the series of CONSEQUENTIAL EVENTS, 1 (the initial event that upsets things, see above paragraph) 2,3,4... on to the the final event after which nothing more has to happen because the conflict has been resolved.  That list of events is actually your PLOT.  You can then think about how you want to break that plot into scenes, how to people the scenes, etc.

Q.  How can you bring fantasy work to the stage without it seeming sophomoric, or cheesy let's say?

A.  Fantasy is a perfectly legitimate genre for the stage.  While there are some different trappings for fantasy than say, kitchen sink drama, all of the basic playwriting principles still apply.  If you are writing fantasy and your reaction is that it seems sophomoric, just step back and make sure you are not trying to circumvent solid playwriting practices by writing in a genre where "anything goes."  Things go or do not go in fantasy pretty much as in any other genre.

Q.  How do you take an idea for a story, a great concept and plot, then find the small facets of the story -- i.e. dramatic action or characterization?

A.  If the concept and plot are great, you already have a good start on the details.  Keep in mind that dramatic action is the thing your audience is "experiencing."  For that reason, it is your most important tool for revealing that great concept and plot.  Ask yourself what character A would most likely do at this moment to character B in order to get what he wants.  Repeat that process for as many lines as it takes to tell the story.  Out of those dramatic actions, character is revealed over and over.  As the actions change, the characters "develop" in the eyes of the audience as they pass judgment on each thing the character does.

Q.  I've tried to write a funny play, but all the humor I can think of is cheesy and un-funny.  How can I turn something corny and stupid into something genuinely funny?

A.  In one of the workshops I said "Humor in playwriting is money in the bank."  Writing genuinely funny drama as opposed to gags and jokes, is a very delicate process.  There are some things I can say about it, but it won't be a magic formula.  First, I believe genuine humor comes directly out of your characters and their relationships to each other, so the basis for it is clearly drawn, deeply felt and well developed characters and relationships.  (Whew!)  And that's just the beginning.  In your search for humor, you need to look for the pain that is inherent in those character relationships.  That's right, the pain!  And you may or may not find humor there, but it remains essential that you don't try to manipulate your characters into "funny" situations, but instead look deeply for the truth that lies behind the relationship and is, perhaps, usually kept just out of sight, just out of conversation.  And once you see that truth, look for a way to illuminate it, either by having one of the characters see it, or making it apparent to the audience without the characters seeing it.  Is that going to be funny?  Maybe.  Just maybe.  But if it is, it'll be really good, true humor, the thing you're looking for, because the one thing people are paying their money for when they go to a play is to see revealed the truth they instantly recognize but have never realized before.  When that happens, they will laugh or they will cry, and either way, it's good.

Q.  How can I develop characters without making them redundant?

A.  A character "develops" when the audience sees something they did not know about him previously, and when they see him change from being one way to being another way (typically toward the end of the play).  You might say a character becomes "redundant" when the play seems to be showing the audience a character trait that they already know he has.  For example, we've seen Carl steal money in Act I, so it seems redundant when we see him steal the silverware in Act II.  The real problem, if there is one, is not that he is shown stealing twice -- that's just consistency -- but it's that his stealing the silverware is not vital to the plot, or has no dramatic action attached to it.  In that case, the character is not redundant, but the plot is flawed or there's an activity instead of dramatic action.

Q.  How does writing scripts for plays compare to writing scripts for movies?

A.  There are significant similarities and significant differences.  Movie dialog is just as dependent on good dramatic action as stage dialog is, but movies include spectacle and activity to a much greater degree than the stage.  For example, in a movie we're quite content to watch long car chases or pretty scenery, listen to the musical score, etc.  It compares to spending a good long while looking at a painting.  For the stage, while we might appreciate a great set when the curtain goes up and even give it a round of applause, we want the dramatic action to start right away and never flag.  And while stage drama conveys by far the majority of its story through dialog, movies tend to minimize the amount of dialog and take advantage of the various storytelling devices available in that medium.  So, if you are writing a screenplay, you need to develop that sensibility of what can be communicated on the screen through ALL means available.  If you aren't familiar with those various means, your script is likely to sound too talky and "stagy."

Because of the great technical differences between stage and screen, the formats for the scripts are quite different.  (There's yet another format for TV writing.)  If you'd like to see what the format looks like, drop me an email and I'll send you some pages of each kind of script.

Q.  How does it affect the playwright when the written stage directions are changed?

A.  Assuming you mean changed by the director in production, the effect on the playwright could be an emotional reaction or none at all.  Refer to the question above about stage directions.  If you have written BOBO CROSSES DOWN LEFT, SUDDENLY DEPRESSED, AND STANDS THERE WITH TEARS THREATENING TO BURST FORTH, and your director has Bobo cross to the chair upstage right, sit down and light a cigarette, then you have absolutely no gripe coming, because you have tried to direct the play for the director.  Your job is to write the play and make the dramatic action clear, not write in activity, which is the director's job and the actor's.  If you want to write all the activity and describe the sets and lights and so forth, you may need to be writing a novel, not a play.  On the other hand, there are stage directions that belong in your script and should not be changed by a director.  For example, in ACT II, Giselle has the line "Yes, Greg, you tuber-faced imbecile, that is precisely why I laughed in your face when you asked for pizza," while in ACT I, you had put in the stage direction GIZELLE LAUGHS IN HIS FACE right after GREG ordered pizza.  But the director told the actress not to laugh, but to sigh and look off into the distance.  You now have the right to complain that your stage direction was violated, because the later line now makes no sense whatsoever.

Q.  How much influence does a playwright have after publication?

A.  When your play is published (usually, but not always, after a successful professional production), the publisher generally provides scripts directly to subsequent production companies and sends you the royalty payment.  You might never even see the production.  It's been my experience, however, that companies are generally interested in having the playwright either in residence during the production or there for an event such as a discussion of the work.  In those cases, the playwright might well be asked for input about the production, including some background about the writing of the play, maybe how you visualize some aspects of the play, etc.  Companies might also arrange with media for interviews with the playwright as a way of promoting interest in their production.

Q.  When does "small talk" in dialog become extraneous?

A.  When it does not contain dramatic action.  In one of the workshops, someone wrote some "small talk" on the exercise we did about dog show auditions, so if you were in that group, you heard a little discussion about it.  Just remember, small talk is not defined by what words are said.  "Hey man, whassup?" could be small talk, but it could convey any number of dramatic actions depending on the context.  Be careful of "small talk" if it's at the beginning of a scene where very little context has been established, because "Hey man, whassup?" with no other context could indeed just be small talk and a waste of the audience's time and attention.

Q.  How do you know when to change the subject in conversations between characters?

A.  Often the subject characters are talking about has little to do with what is happening between them.  BILL might be going on and on to SUE about his new hybrid car, and she might be responding with bits about her algebra class and how mean her brother was about making lunch for them yesterday, but what is happening is all about BILL working up courage to ask SUE out, and she knows it and doesn't know how to help him get to the question.  So it's not really a question of changing subjects.  As a playwright, your task is often to make characters sound like they're having a conversation like real people (who, let's face it, might change the subject for no reason at all!), while in fact making it clear to the audience what they are doing to each other to get what they want.

Q.  How do you get to the point of a piece without it seeming rushed?

A.  Read the question above regarding writing out the plot outline.  The "point" of the piece is what your audience walks out of the theater with -- your view of the world, your Truth.  This "point" is made by the entire play, and if you have developed your scenario, then your plot outline, and then have written your script accordingly, there should be no question of it seeming rushed.  On the contrary, your concern should be with keeping the plot moving briskly and getting from the beginning to the end with no dead spots in between.

The following are questions sent from students in my playwriting workshops at Winston-Salem during the International Thespian Society festival.