Playwriting (8) James Graham

It’s like being God, and playing with people.

It’s a good opportunity to explore what’s going on in your life and what you’re feeling (rf. writing in a journal).

It also make sense to take a pulse on what’s going on in the world around you (which is what I want to do to some extent with my play).

A playwright should not be afraid to dive into something that he or she hasn’t come close to actually living.

Write about what you know ▪ life | people. But you can research and interview on whatever subject matter you don’t know.

• Story
• Development
• Turning Point
• Changes
• Intrigue
• Irony

When you have those “boundaries,” the writing can come relatively easily.

All first drafts are embarrassing.

Over the next few weeks, I capture episodes of the National Theatre: Playwriting series. These are instrumental lessons, as I work at my play "The Room." The above are my notes.