Plodding Through Your Novel Plot? Try Thinking Like a Playwright!

Find your focus drifting as you write that novel? Do you hear from your crit group that you are too heavy on narration and too light on action?

Reach the Finish Line
Putting your story, or even just a few key scenes, down in stage script form can help you get out of your pacing rut and get to the climax. Shaping a story in script form moves along more quickly by design, and the scenes are easily transferred into chapters later on. Thinking like a playwright means that each scene must have its own hook, action and mini-climax, similar to the development of book chapters. And, most importantly, each scene, character and line of dialogue must serve a purpose--advancing the plot or developing the conflict or characters. This is a great exercise for writers who tend to drift, or take too long to hit the climax of each scene. There is no room for extraneous characters on stage, and dialogue is trimmed and tightened so that every word matters and every action is dramatically justifiable. It's like writing down the bones of your story, and leaves room for narrative exposition to be added later on, ensuring that your characters drive the story.

One page of properly formatted script equates to roughly one minute of performance time. Scenes should be neither too long or too short. Too many short scenes may mean there is not enough exposition, and scenes that are too long may tire the audience/reader and signal a trim is needed.

Muddling through the Middle?
Thinking of your story as a two-act play may also help you to remember not to get lost in the middle. Plays with an intermission after Act One should send the audience to the snack bar or restroom talking about the story. It is a teaser for the coming climax in the second act, so Act One should end on a high or dramatic note. This could be your character's All is Lost moment or an important turning point. Musicals often have a big production number just as the first act ends. Keep in mind that in plays, the second act is usually shorter than the first, so your story conflict should be well developed and headed to the climax.

Try practicing outlining your novel scenes. List the characters in each scene, what plot points are being addressed, and key lines of dialogue or action. What is your mini-climax that will keep the pages turning? What would you consider as your Act One finale? And when you get to your story climax in Act Two, the final wrap-up should come quickly, tying up loose ends and sending the audience away wanting more. Now take your scene list and see if they make sense as chapter outlines. It may be easier to attack each chapter now that you know where it is going and what the key elements are.

Character Development: Show, Don't Tell
The characters in any story must be clearly developed and resonate with audiences. It's always best for the audience or reader to meet each character and get to know him through what he says or does. This direct characterization exercise is perfect for forcing the writer to allow characters to tell their own story, to express their feelings verbally and through action--and removes the tempting crutch of over-reliance on narration and description. And the experience of watching a dynamic character change before your eyes makes for a more intimate relationship with the audience/reader.

Playwrights try to ensure that each main character is unique. Remember that audiences do not have the luxury of being able to refer to previous pages to clear up a confusion about who's who. While novelists often take great care to choose easily identifiable names for main characters, playwrights must think on more levels. Characters in performances on stage (or even TV) may be given accents, dialogue or physical ticks (a memorable and repeated catchphrase or mannerism), or a costuming item or prop. Thinking of classic television characters, Polly Holliday's fast-talking Southern waitress Flo was known for the catchphrase "Kiss my grits," and Gary Coleman's "Whatcha talkin' about, Willis?" and both remain familiar decades later, and the paranoid Captain Queeg in The Caine Mutiny fiddled with metal marbles in times of stress. Seinfeld's Kramer's wardrobe was consistently hipster-doofus, and he made the same comically frantic entrance to Jerry's apartment throughout the series' run, and got laughs every time. Audiences like familiarity, and while they may not always be overtly aware of them, weaving in these unique character elements can enhance your novel and make your characters stand out.

Polly Holliday's Flo stood out on TVs Alice through her costume and catchphrase. 

Gary Coleman's Diff'rent Strokes catchphrase is still familiar decades later. 

Captain Queeg's nervous habit signaled his breakdown in The Caine Mutiny.

Kramer's signature costumes and over-the-top entrances never failed to entertain Seinfeld audiences.

Costumes, Sets & Props
The devil is in the details. In a script, directors and actors are left to interpret your words. They must be able to quickly visualize where characters are, how they dress, speak and interact with one another. Novelists know that while each reader brings a personal interpretation to a book, they ultimately need to come away with fairly consistent reflections and opinions of each character and situation. And while every staged performance of a play is born from the very same words in a script and every performance is nuanced, sometimes even night-to-night, playwrights can still look at random still photos of actors from their plays and instantly know which characters they are seeing. Costume and setting descriptions, props and mannerisms help place characters in context to the story and to each other. Novelists can learn from this streamlined descriptive process, and remember to sometimes give the reader a visual glimpse into each scene.

Give it a Try
You don't have to have any aspirations to publish your story as a stage play, but playing with a new format can give you a fresh look at your material, or a jumpstart on a sagging story or static character. Seeing your story as a script may help you visualize character conversations or key scenes and ramp up your action.

And you may find yourself hooked. I first experimented with playwriting out of impatience to get the major plot elements of a novel down on paper. I saw an add for a free trial of MovieMagic Screenwriter, downloaded it and gave it a go. My 'novel' became my first published play, The Ransom of Miss Elverna Dower, and won the Shubert Fendrich Memorial Playwriting Award in 2009. I easily went back and finished the novel, with some fleshing out and development, and found the whole process less frustrating as I knew exactly where I was going and had the script as my roadmap. (Now starting search for an agent. Just saying.) Five produced original plays later, I continue to see most of my stories as scenes or plays as they develop and have since realized that writing dialogue is a strength for me in any format.

Where do I Start?
Often the most daunting aspect of playwriting is the formatting, but there's lots of good news there for those of us not comfortable fiddling with our word processor's margins and macros. There are some very intuitive software packages that practically format for you. All you have to do is choose the element (like a scene break, dialogue, parenthetical note or stage direction) and the software sets the spacing and such for you. The learning curve is short on even the most powerful programs, and all you have to do is start typing. All programs have import and export features, and most have outlining, document search capability, and other useful organizing tools.

The App store has several free or inexpensive applications, but check out these scriptwriting programs:

Celtx free scriptwriting software This internet-based software allows access from anywhere, and work is easily shared for collaboration. Has a pay upgrade for more features, but the free program is enough for most writers.

MovieMagic Screenwriter A bit costly at about $170, but all you will ever need for stage and screenplays. Available for Mac and PC. Free trial available, and look for sales and discounts.

FinalDraft The industry standard for professionals in stage or screenwriting, and this big boy comes in around $199. Powerful, but fairly easy to learn. Available for Mac and PC and an iPad app is also available. Free trial available, as well as educational discounts for teachers and students. (Just upload your ID card or other proof.)

For more on my plays, check out my website LaurieBryant.com
or
The Ransom of Miss Elverna Dower (through Pioneer Drama Services)
Unplugged (through Pioneer Drama Services)
Martians Over Brooklyn (through Heuer Publishing)