1100 Playwright Interviews A Sean Abley Rob Ackerman E.E. Adams Johnna Adams Liz Duffy Adams Tony Adams David Adjmi Keith Josef Adkins Nicc...
May 10, 2006
I'm writing slowly now. I've stopped actually. i'm
on page 66 of this play called Incendiary and I'm
completely stuck. I have some vague ideas about the
ending but no idea how to write this next scene. so
I'll blog instead I guess.
so if you're stuck getting past a scene, write the scene in the worst way possible.
Somehow commission yourself to write the worst scene ever written for a play, even though the play surrounding this scene is good.
Shakespeare has dozens of plays that are among the best plays ever that have interminable, horrible scenes that are unfortunately necessary for the engine of the play to run.
The differece between you and Shakespeare is that you will go back and fix the horrible scene(s) after you've got a beginning, middle, and end.
But I suspect that you'll learn something about the tone, style, and sensibility of this play and from the bad scene. You also might see beyond the polished professionalism that you've developed as a writer in general and get to the essence of what you write about and the kind of writing that is truest to yourself.
Writing a bad play is a Mac Wellman idea. Cred to him. It is an incredibly liberating exercise.
I am sure you already have lots of tools on how to proceed when stuck... but it's also helpful to make the main character go to the therapist . I 've found out crazy shit about my plots through that ! :)
Ooh, the therapist idea is fun. And the Mac Wellman idea sounds good -- kindalike Annie Lamott's "shitty first draft" principle, which I always try to remember. You could also just skip to the end and fill in the rest later. Or you could take a short break and write a play about a kitty named Skeezer who really likes broken glass.
Thanks All. And enrique, poor skeezer got her name before we googled. And the name stuck even though she isn't particulary tarty. Also I saw another definition of Skeezer having to do with ladies who love to roll in glass and like to wake you up by hitting you with their paws so you will feed them cat food. used like this. "Damn, that Skeeza (sic) loves the cat food, Yo."
6 comments:
You are not allowed to stop writing. Resume writing immediately.
(Presses a button on a panel.)
Don't make me press this button twice.
so if you're stuck getting past a scene, write the scene in the worst way possible.
Somehow commission yourself to write the worst scene ever written for a play, even though the play surrounding this scene is good.
Shakespeare has dozens of plays that are among the best plays ever that have interminable, horrible scenes that are unfortunately necessary for the engine of the play to run.
The differece between you and Shakespeare is that you will go back and fix the horrible scene(s) after you've got a beginning, middle, and end.
But I suspect that you'll learn something about the tone, style, and sensibility of this play and from the bad scene. You also might see beyond the polished professionalism that you've developed as a writer in general and get to the essence of what you write about and the kind of writing that is truest to yourself.
Writing a bad play is a Mac Wellman idea. Cred to him. It is an incredibly liberating exercise.
Don't stop. Keep going.
I am sure you already have lots of tools on how to proceed when stuck... but it's also helpful to make the main character go to the therapist . I 've found out crazy shit about my plots through that !
:)
Ooh, the therapist idea is fun. And the Mac Wellman idea sounds good -- kindalike Annie Lamott's "shitty first draft" principle, which I always try to remember. You could also just skip to the end and fill in the rest later. Or you could take a short break and write a play about a kitty named Skeezer who really likes broken glass.
speaking of Skeezer...
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Skeezer
Thanks All. And enrique, poor skeezer got her name before we googled. And the name stuck even though she isn't particulary tarty. Also I saw another definition of Skeezer having to do with ladies who love to roll in glass and like to wake you up by hitting you with their paws so you will feed them cat food. used like this. "Damn, that Skeeza (sic) loves the cat food, Yo."
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