Playwriting Techniques for Poets and Fiction Writers
Portrait of Gage by Sudie Rakusin
How can the discipline of writing for stage be applied to the work of both poets and fiction writers? Focusing on elements of tight, dramatic plot construction, participants in this workshop will learn to troubleshoot manuscripts in other genres -- identifying structural inconsistencies that frustrate the reader and also detecting opportunities to enhance the dramatic potential of a variety of situations.
Participants will learn the playwright's trade secrets for generating suspense and momentum -- including the nuts and bolts of crafting the irresistible curtain-raiser and the unforgettable cliffhanger. The same techniques that keep audiences glued to their seats translate to page-turning chapters in a novel and moments of startling revelation in a poem.
". . . high energy presentation, well-organized, specific examples . . . "
"Fabulous teaching technique . . . "
"Since I am a practicing theatre critic, I found this workshop to be fascinating. Carolyn has developed a structure through which she examines texts that aren't working (in her case, plays and screenplays), but it would work for fiction and also a bit for poetry."
"She was lively, funny, engaging. She kept up the pace for the entire workshop, completed what she said she would within her time slot . . . and gave use a handy tool. I loved it."
"She was an incredible teacher and very engaging. I loved her seminar. She kept the audience involved . . . superb."
"I learned the playwriting structure and it was extremely valuable. The five parts that she went through make it possible to apply this structure to other work such as stories, poems, or novels. She also made the point that all good writing had something in common and that was it's dramatic, and hence this formula can be applied to all writing."
"The handouts and presentation were strong. I liked the participation which forced us to become playwrights for a half hour."
"The structure of a successful play and why it works; why people come to the theatre. These principles are also directly applicable to poems as well."
"She is a great teacher/presenter -- brings out the best in her students! The little drama exercises/ demos were memorable and right on point."
"Let the fiction writers know this would be great for them . . . "
Participants will learn the playwright's trade secrets for generating suspense and momentum -- including the nuts and bolts of crafting the irresistible curtain-raiser and the unforgettable cliffhanger. The same techniques that keep audiences glued to their seats translate to page-turning chapters in a novel and moments of startling revelation in a poem.
- 2017 Stonecoast MFA Creative Writing Program, University of Southern Maine.
". . . high energy presentation, well-organized, specific examples . . . "
"Fabulous teaching technique . . . "
"Since I am a practicing theatre critic, I found this workshop to be fascinating. Carolyn has developed a structure through which she examines texts that aren't working (in her case, plays and screenplays), but it would work for fiction and also a bit for poetry."
"She was lively, funny, engaging. She kept up the pace for the entire workshop, completed what she said she would within her time slot . . . and gave use a handy tool. I loved it."
"She was an incredible teacher and very engaging. I loved her seminar. She kept the audience involved . . . superb."
"I learned the playwriting structure and it was extremely valuable. The five parts that she went through make it possible to apply this structure to other work such as stories, poems, or novels. She also made the point that all good writing had something in common and that was it's dramatic, and hence this formula can be applied to all writing."
"The handouts and presentation were strong. I liked the participation which forced us to become playwrights for a half hour."
"The structure of a successful play and why it works; why people come to the theatre. These principles are also directly applicable to poems as well."
"She is a great teacher/presenter -- brings out the best in her students! The little drama exercises/ demos were memorable and right on point."
"Let the fiction writers know this would be great for them . . . "