Short Plays- NEWBIE

Welcome, kohuether.

To me, your question is almost too broad. Kind of like asking how to write a book.

I guess first is to think of a story simple enough to be told in the amount of time you have. Figure out who your characters are, what happens, and how it ends up.

Even for a very short play or film, one option is standard three-act structure--don't let the term put you off. It just means a beginning which explains how things are and who the characters are, a middle in which something happens to change that, and an end, how things are now.

Now, how can you show an audience all of that without getting inside any character's head to know their thoughts (like novels or movie voice-overs do)? Using only the setting and what your characters say and do, tell the story.

Piece of cake, eh?

Worry about format last, BTW. Lots of new screenwriters and playwrights tend to focus on the details instead of the story. My one (and probably only) play followed only the most basic format rules, but it won.

Keep us posted on how it's coming, okay? Great.

Maryn