Write Drama Right

Drama moves people like nothing else. Action, pauses, body language, and emotional rawness take them to highs, lows, and everywhere in between, all occurring in a matter of minutes.

Achieving those actions and reactions, however, takes hours of writing, rewriting, and writhing. As playwrights, we agonize as we dig for just the right word, facial expression, and movement to make a message flow.

The following guidelines will make that process less burdensome and your presentation more meaningful.

Research

In order to write good drama, read good drama, particularly the style you plan to write. Notice the format, word flow, brevity and clarity of stage directions, and the simplicity of scenes and sets.

Reading basic how-to books on writing effective drama also helps. Kathy Ide’s Christian Drama Publishing: How to Write a Powerful Script and Get It Published provides essential tips for getting started. More detailed publications, classes, workshops, and writers groups or mentors add to your developing knowledge and ability.

Reflect

Know your subjects. Understand and reflect the ages, backgrounds, and interests of your characters. Research the history, culture, speech, and idiosyncrasies of that time.

When you choose appropriate names, costumes, language, and props, you add to the authenticity of your scenes. People (think editors and publishers) will notice a lack of or slipshod research.

If you create your own characters, picture them clearly – what they think and how they speak and act. A high school cheerleader does not talk like a college professor. The words characters use and the way they use them speak volumes about their identity.  Maintain consistency in character development. Posture, facial expressions, quirky behavior, clothes – everything should say, “This is me.”

Restrict

Stay focused. The tighter the time period and circumstances, the greater the intensity of the scenes. Choose powerful moments that communicate your message, whether heavy or light-hearted. Effective drama presents a few compelling scenes with props, dialogue, and body language that convey relevant information. Cut the irrelevant, regardless of how witty your words. Quality trumps quantity.

Refine

Keep the audience hungry. From the opening scene, make people sit up and notice. Offer substantial and moving content throughout. Use active verbs that increase their investment in the action rather than put them to sleep.

If you want a child to express sympathy for a grieving grandmother, don’t let her say, “I’m sorry you’re sad, Nanna.” Instead, let the grandmother’s voice choke on tears. Make the child notice, inch closer, crawl onto Nanna’s lap, hug her, and offer a favorite toy. “Show, don’t tell” applies to most writing, especially drama.

As with all submissions, study the market and adhere to publisher guidelines.

Rehearse

If possible, stage your work and gather feedback prior to publication.  Doing so allows you to discover kinks previously undetected and polish what works well. Better to work out trouble spots beforehand than have editors or performers do so later.

At the least, read your drama aloud, in front of a mirror. Listen and watch for minor flaws that may cause major problems. You will be surprised at the number of needed edits.

Reach Out

When getting started, take advantage of local drama needs. Churches may use drama to introduce sermons, small-group Bible studies, and special events. If you teach a class, write and present a monologue for the lesson.

Offer your services for school productions. Libraries love short plays for children’s groups. Begin where you live and then branch out to the world.

No doubt, each of these steps takes time. Yet, you can make no wiser investment if you want to write drama right.

Diana Derringer is an award-winning writer and author of Beyond Bethlehem and Calvary: 12 Dramas for Christmas, Easter, and More! Hundreds of her articles, devotions, dramas, planning guides, Bible studies, and poems appear in 40-plus publications, including The Upper Room, The Christian Communicator, Clubhouse, Kentucky Monthly, Seek, and Missions Mosaic, plus several anthologies. She also writes radio drama for Christ to the World Ministries. Her adventures as a social worker, adjunct professor, youth Sunday school teacher, and friendship family for international university students supply a constant flow of writing ideas. Visit her at dianaderringer.com.