Creative Elements

The Idea

Think of a story that stands out in your mind. If one does not come to mind, make one up. Some of the best ideas will surface when you plug in your imagination.



The Plot

Write down a brief plot summary. A plot is the architecture of the major actions of the play. This is simply an outline for you to follow.



The Five W's

Ask the following questions about your story: Who? What? Where? When? Why?



The Who

"Who" are the characters in your play. In life, we see many different characters with different physical builds, vocal qualities and attitudes. Writers must create these unique and vivid characters and give them life within the world of a play.



The What and the Why

Plays are driven by what the characters want. What is the character's goal, desire or objective? The conflict in a scene occurs when two characters hold opposing objectives. For example, one character wants to go home, the other wants the evening to go on forever. You need to think about how your character is going to get what they want. What do they need to do? What tactics will they use? Why is the motivation behind what the character wants (i.e. character A wants to go home because he has a strict curfew and will be grounded if he is late again. Character B wants the evening to go on forever because she is madly in love with character A)



The Where and When

The "where" and "when" make up the setting of the play or scene. Where is the specific location of the play (i.e. country, state, house, room etc.). Where a scene takes place will effect the action of the play (i.e. two people arguing will adjust their behavior depending on if they are doing so in a movie theatre, in their home, or in a car broken down on the side of the road). When is the time the action occurs (i.e. present day at midnight, England 1642, or May 5, 1972 etc.). When a scene takes place determines the actors' speech and mannerisms. It also determines what the characters know (i.e. in 1700 the characters will have no knowledge of modern cinema).



The Objective

Give each of your characters a specific objective. The more your characters want something, the better the scene will develop. Once a character achieves his/her objective, the conflict is over and the scene should end.