Okay playwrights, we’re finally ready to put together a full scene. Now, there is a proper way to do this, aesthetically speaking–a lot of rules about fonts, line spacing, and margin width to adhere to. If you ever want to submit your play for publication or to a theater company for possible production, you’ll want to pay close attention to all of this. And even now, writing the first draft of your first ever scene, it doesn’t hurt to visualize your end product. Here is a guide I found that not only walks you through all of the specifics, but provides a few sample pages to help you visualize how everything will look on the page.
Day 6 – Write the Scene: Based on everything you’ve done so far, write the first draft of a brief scene (5 typed pages) with a strong, clear-cut conflict between the two characters. [Extra Credit: Write the scene again, using the same characters and conflict, but have the scene unfold in the past setting instead of the present setting.] Adapted from The Playwright’s Handbook, by Frank Pike and Thomas G. Dunn (Revised Edition, 1996).
Remember, this is a first draft. You’ll probably want to trim it down later, so don’t be afraid to over write a bit now. And keep in mind this is just one scene. You don’t have to resolve the conflict yet. As the authors of The Playwright’s Handbook say, “[w]ork instead toward creating a well-balanced, interesting struggle.”
And have fun!