How To Start Writing A Play Script

Starting from the beginning can be tough for writers of all levels. No matter what level you are, writing a play is a great way to challenge yourself! Writing a script is different than writing a book or article because it is much shorter in length and there are no chapters or breaks.

Writing a play is actually very similar to writing any other form of fiction (fiction stories like novels or autobiographies). The main difference is that plays are not allowed to include too many characters outside of the initial three.

Narrow down your topic

Now that you know what kind of play you want to write, the next step is to determine if the story is already written or not!

There are two main reasons why writers don’t publish their work: copyright and the fear of failure.

By learning how to write a script for a novel or short story, you will be protecting yourself from the first. If you pick a book that has been published before, then you have already done some of the hard work for yourself!

But even writing a new book can feel scary at times. It’s easy to get distracted by all of the things that need to be done, and never actually start writing.

That’s where this article comes in! By narrowing down your topic ahead of time, you eliminate the possibility of getting distracted.

You've already decided on an area you're interested in so you have a starting place. You may also decide later on that there's no point in writing about it, but for now you'll focus on it as you begin to put words onto paper.

Write down your topic using different points of view

One of the most important things to do as you begin writing a script is to know what your story is! What element will become your main plot?

A good play has a very specific storyline that readers get involved in, they feel motivated to read more of, and then they are invested in the characters’ journeys.

Your main character should be someone who people can relate to or even admire, but who also goes through difficult changes. This change may be internal - like self-discovery - or external, related to other people.

It's great when writers use familiar concepts for their stories, but it's much better when they're inspired by real life. That way, your audience can connect with the material and maybe learn something about themselves along the way.

If you'd like to write a play, first choose an interesting situation or event that already exists in society, in politics, business, or daily life. Then, brainstorm possible angles or perspectives on this event.

You can make your protagonist opinionated or neutral on the subject, or discuss the positive and negative effects of the event on those around him. Your reader will enjoy seeing how he responds to these challenges.

Start building your script

First, you need to know what kind of play you want to write! Most aspiring writers start with a story first, but that’s not necessarily true for all writers. Some may begin with a scene or two before moving onto a plot.

It really depends on how creative you are as a writer and what type of stories you like to read. If you can’t decide which genre to pick, then writing about different types of topics is way better than picking a specific one!

Whatever style of play you choose, it must be self-contained. This means no other characters outside of yourself, no references to things beyond the setting, and nothing too long (no AARs or chapters longer than five pages).

Your play should also be set in somewhere real (not made up settings such as “on an island”) and occur within a reasonable amount of time (a month at most). No crazy storylines where aliens invade Earth or something!

If any of these rules break down, then your play will not hold reader interest. You would probably lose followers while you work on fixing those issues.

Examine your work to be sure it's good

Now that you have chosen a genre, it is time to actually start writing! While there are many ways to get into the writing process, one of the first things you should do is examine what has not worked for you in the past and try to replicate that success.

By this I mean, take a look at yourself and your experiences as a writer and see if you can pick up where you left off. For example, if you wrote a few paragraphs of text every week, then begin reading some material to add to your play script. Or if you started writing down notes and developing characters, now go back to doing so.

Whatever methods didn’t work for you before, use them again! By giving yourself a chance to re-evaluate your skills, you will set yourself apart from writers who may struggle with the same concept over and over.

Another way to do this is by taking note of stories or novels that you like and see how they are put together. Reading and analyzing new books is an excellent way to learn about writing.

Enlist the help of friends

As we mentioned earlier, writing is a pretty difficult process that can be tricky or even impossible for some people. Luckily, you are not alone in this journey!
As an aspiring writer, there are many other writers out there who want to help you succeed.

Writing a play is a very long process so it’s important to have someone support you throughout the whole thing.

That person could be a close friend or family member, another writer, your professor, or even yourself two weeks later when you review your work.

There are several ways to find more supportive individuals. You can make a posting on various writing forums, put up a notice at your local library, or search online for groups or courses designed to help others learn how to write.

The most helpful tip we can give you is to just start talking about what you know! If someone asks you about your writing career, talk about your experiences, if they ask about something related to writing, do research and apply what you learned to create your own story.

Join a writers’ group

Having a rich writing circle that includes peers, friends and mentors is an integral part of being a writer. You can even create your own by joining a writers’ group or online community.

Writer’s groups are great because they give you the opportunity to meet other people who love reading and writing and learn from them. They also serve as a source of inspiration for each other’s work.

By sharing yours, you bring in new ideas and motivate yourself to write more so that others can witness the talent you have.

There are many ways to join a writers’ group, but one of our favorite free resources is Poets & Writers. It has interactive forums, events, courses and guides designed exclusively for aspiring writers.

You don’t need to be a member to use some of their services like brainstorming with fellow writers or learning how to improve your writing through lessons and exercises, but it is easy to do so if you are.

Poets&Writers is a wealth of information for anyone interested in creative expression and self-development. The site is ideal for both novices and professional writers looking to hone their skills.

Get an expert’s feedback

Getting some help is your best bet, especially since you are writing for entertainment! It will not only give you tips and tricks for improving your play script, but it will also boost your self-confidence as you work on it.

There are many ways to get professional guidance. You can ask a friend or colleague who knows writing well if they would be willing to read through your draft and offer their comments and suggestions. Or you can look into online writing courses or writing groups in your area that may have discussion forums or events.

By having outside input, you will definitely improve your writing. And hopefully, after reading these comments, you will know where to make changes and what to discard so your final product is better.

Writing a play is a fun process that does not require too much investment of time or money unless you want to see your hard work come to fruition.

Set your script up for publication

Now that you have the groundwork done, it is time to actually write your play!
As mentioned before, writing a screenplay is very different from writing a book or even writing an article due to the length of the pieces. A movie can be two hours long, so there are some leniencies in terms of structure.

With a stage play, however, each scene has to be one minute long and the whole piece cannot longer than twenty minutes. This creates consistency issues as well, since a movie allows for breaks between scenes whereas a stage play does not.
Therefore, when formatting how to start writing a play, people usually focus more on how to write a minuscule amount of content rather than how to organize your work into events and chapters.

When organizing your play, what kind of organization is best depends on what format you choose to publish your play. If you decide to self-publish through Amazon Kindle, for example, then you do not need to worry about other companies’ publishing software.

However, if you want to get professional help with editing and proofreading, using Microsoft Word or Google Docs would be better choices because they are widely used and understood.