I went to the theatre this past weekend and finally saw a play I've wanted to see for ages. I read plays all the time, but remember, plays are meant to be seen and not necessarily read.
What struck me about this particular play was the vividness of the rhythm and flow of the dialogue. It was heightened; not many people I know speak to each other the way these characters spoke to one another. It was quite theatrical in many ways even though the entire play takes place in an ordinary living room. I need to learn how to do this in my own writing. My work needs to be heightened; it needs, believe it or not, more theatricality. In my attempt to make situations naturalistic, I'm afraid my work sometimes borders on the mundane. Ugh...death!
Does it seem I am contradicting myself if I say I didn't like any of the characters, but I did like the play? In other words, I would never want to know those people...I'd never want to go to their house for dinner. I would be mentally exhausted trying to keep up with the minutia of their conversation. I didn't like them at all, but in terms of the writing, I found their behavior and their dialogue riveting. And of course, they were very recognizable. I have known people like that in my past.
I am always in student mode...always learning more about how I can make my writing more dynamic. In the scheme of things, I'm still a very young playwright--I've been writing professionally for less than 10 years, so that makes me a very young artist indeed. I have so much to learn from the many stellar writers out there.
As I move into a very busy fall season, where multiple plays need to be created, characters need to be given life, and storylines need to pack a wallop, I sit and ponder the magnitude of what I need to do. But I also get to develop new worlds, new relationships, and that is the part of the work that is the most fun and the most intriguing. I simply need to get out of my own way, and let the muse take over. Where the heck is she???
