Helpful Hints
Economy and efficiency are the keys to writing an effective 10-minute play. Make every word count, and add to the picture you are painting.
SOME COMMON PITFALLS
Strong start but where’s the finish?
Many of the plays entered to Short+Sweet have strong premises or starting points. This is great as it shows writers have something to say and are not short of ideas. But sadly, many plays lose their way in the middle and end. There is also a tendency for writers to tack on a surprise “twist” ending that is either unnecessary or confusing as it wasn’t properly set up earlier in the play. As one of our assessors put it:
“A lot of scripts have great stories, but then seem to want to have a surprising or crafty ending, which comes off badly in the context of the rest of the play.”
Don’t just add on something to shock the reader unless it is an integral part of the whole play. Even good writing will be severely penalized if it has a nonsensical ending. In a 10-min play, the line and development of themes is especially important and it is possibly better to have a more expected ending than one that doesn’t fit.”
Undeveloped, unfinished
Similar to this, many plays have good story lines, characters and ideas fighting to get out, but are crippled by poor dialogue, a weak structure or unclear objectives. Many of these problems can be solved if you make the effort to write multiple drafts of your play or do a little work-shopping on the text. Although it is a ten-minute play, the development process is very similar to a full-length work, which is precisely why Short+Sweet is great for budding writers! You wouldn’t expect your first draft of a full-length production to be perfect, and the same goes with ten-minute plays. Do send your play to friends for feedback, and re-write and polish as much as you can.
Remember — we receive many entries, so a good idea is not enough to carry you to the finals. Your play must be fully fleshed out and ready for production. Only a strong idea that is well executed will stand a good chance of being selected for Short+Sweet.
Too long or too short
Writers seem to have a lot of trouble determining the length of their plays, with many entries well over ten minutes and others suddenly stopping at the six or seven minute mark. The best way to work out the length is to time it! Read it out loud yourself or get some friends (or actors) around to read it. You’ll only need to hear it out loud once to get an idea of the running time.
Too much set pieces, too many stage directions
Far too many entries call for elaborate sets such as fully furnished kitchens and living rooms (or both!), which are simply not possible in Short+Sweet. We present ten – ten minute plays per night and changeovers must take 30 seconds or less. Its best to just say “Kitchen” or “Bedroom” and leave the rest up to the director. Only state what is absolutely necessary for your play.
There is also a tendency for writers to put too many stage directions or instructions in their text. As one assessor put it: “There are still lots of writers trying to direct every move of actors as well as the total set design on stage in the production. I understand that some physical scoring may be pertinent to the content of the play, but it needs to be carefully and concisely written. Decisions should be primarily left to the director.”
We hope you find these hints helpful in preparing your entry for Short+Sweet Singapore! Good luck!