Amanda Dalton
DON’T!
You’ll read and hear over and again that “writing is re-writing.” For some weird reason people often seem to think that what you write first is IT – a hole in one. That’s just crazy. I play the piano (very badly) and can’t imagine how long ago I’d have given up if I expected to sit down and play a piece of music straight off. Well it’s no different with writing. If you get it in one, you’ve just experienced a miracle.
I like what the playwright Ibsen said, how after a first draft he would know his characters as he might after a train journey; with the second draft he’d know them as if he’d spent a week with them at a spa. By the third draft, he knows them as his intimate friends…..
To finish, I know I said this wasn’t “tips” but here’s a couple of other things you might want to check out with your first draft:
Do you “get in late and get out early?” It’s really common to start a play too soon, with a kind of rambling introduction that’s doing nothing. Try starting in the middle of something – we’re always in the middle of something.
If a scene isn’t working take a close look at what’s going on under the surface here. If nothing is – if this scene is just people talking – that’ll be the problem….
And remember –
People are inconsistent. People don’t often say what they mean or what they want – they don’t always answer each other directly. People don’t reveal everything – they usually reveal very little.
Writers are interested in and care about ALL their characters – have you got under your characters’ skins; have they got under yours?
Now….you’ve cleaned the oven, walked the dog, watched some plays, read some plays, cleaned the oven again…….time to write.
Back to page 1
DON’T!
You’ll read and hear over and again that “writing is re-writing.” For some weird reason people often seem to think that what you write first is IT – a hole in one. That’s just crazy. I play the piano (very badly) and can’t imagine how long ago I’d have given up if I expected to sit down and play a piece of music straight off. Well it’s no different with writing. If you get it in one, you’ve just experienced a miracle.
I like what the playwright Ibsen said, how after a first draft he would know his characters as he might after a train journey; with the second draft he’d know them as if he’d spent a week with them at a spa. By the third draft, he knows them as his intimate friends…..
To finish, I know I said this wasn’t “tips” but here’s a couple of other things you might want to check out with your first draft:
Do you “get in late and get out early?” It’s really common to start a play too soon, with a kind of rambling introduction that’s doing nothing. Try starting in the middle of something – we’re always in the middle of something.
If a scene isn’t working take a close look at what’s going on under the surface here. If nothing is – if this scene is just people talking – that’ll be the problem….
And remember –
People are inconsistent. People don’t often say what they mean or what they want – they don’t always answer each other directly. People don’t reveal everything – they usually reveal very little.
Writers are interested in and care about ALL their characters – have you got under your characters’ skins; have they got under yours?
Now….you’ve cleaned the oven, walked the dog, watched some plays, read some plays, cleaned the oven again…….time to write.
Back to page 1