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Task #10: Structuring Dramatic Action

17 April 2020 - Tom Saunders - Writing Daily with Tom Saunders

This activity may make you think about how you might approach writing a scene. As I have mentioned in previous blogs, the bedrock of drama is objectives and obstacles. (A character wants something and another character standing in their way.) However, the scene might get a bit repetitive if a character enters asks for the same thing repeatedly before leaving so you may consider all the small little tactics a character may employ to get what they want.

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Task #9: Exposition and Character

16 April 2020 - Tom Saunders - Writing Daily with Tom Saunders

Exposition is essentially information. It’s things that we learn about the characters, plot or environment from the play that we don’t see. For example, if someone walked on the stage and said ‘the rain is hammering it down out there” we would know it was raining. The challenge of exposition is doing it in a way that seems natural, not forced and only revealing information when it’s essential. Audiences won’t stay interested in information; they want drama.

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Task #8: Complex Characters

15 April 2020 - Tom Saunders - Writing Daily with Tom Saunders

The best characters are often ones that are multifaceted and complex. We love it when we empathise with the villain or when we can see flaws in our heroes because this mirrors the world around us. People are more complex than simply one characteristic.

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Task #7: Generating a character from your opinions

14 April 2020 - Tom Saunders - Writing Daily with Tom Saunders

Set a timer for sixty seconds and write down as many things that you believe as possible. These can range from things that you believe deeply, that massively shape the way you live your life, or they could be fun opinions you hold on food, drink and the arts.

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Task #6: Developing a character and story

13 April 2020 - Tom Saunders - Writing Daily with Tom Saunders

As with all these activities, you can do this alone, with your children or with friends/family online. Please use these activities in any way that is useful to you and if you need to change them to fit your needs, please do.

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