Found over at the Bruntwood Prize is this list of questions from Amongst the Reeds playwright Chinonyerem Odimba. I find them provocative and inspiring in my own work.
How to find the driving question(s) of your play
- Ask yourself questions about why you are telling this story. What excites you, the playwright, about the possibilities of the story? What moves you?
- Do you think others have the same question(s) about it? Or is your story trying to question the collective understanding?
- Why is this play important? Why does it deserve to be witnessed?
- In 3 short sentences try to pin down what it is you want the play to say.
- Is any one dramatic element (Theme, Character, Plot, Language, Style) leading the story? Why?
- Play ‘interviewer’ with your characters.
- How is the structure informing and serving the story/questions you have?
- Keep interrogating even after the writing has started by giving each of your acts/scenes a title/heading in the form of a question.
- Be open to your driving question changing.
- Be playful– Not all questions are serious ones!