Written Assignment
It is now time to compose something creative of your own. It is time to compose one of your own. In this assignment, you will be creating one scene from a larger play. In this scene, your characters will have an argument of some kind.
Imported Asset
George Segal (left, as Biff) and Lee J. Cobb (right, as Willy) argue in Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman. Although this famous play is fiction, Miller took much of the ideas from his own life and his own family.
Here’s how to do it!
Many writers today use their own life experiences for much of their inspiration. It is an easy way to write scenes that seem realistic. You must have had a memorable argument of your own recently. Close your eyes and remember every detail of it. What (exactly) did people say? In what tone of voice? What actions were taken?
Now, turn that into a play. As you write it down, you will probably want to change the words and events a little (or a lot) to make the story more interesting (or for other reasons). Take the character that is you and give that character a name. You are turning a real event into fiction, so you are free to make whatever changes you want. You story does not have to have a strong finish–it is just one scene from a larger play.
As you write, focus on the stage directions. How do you describe the scene first? How do you describe how people speak? How do you describe the actions of the characters?
Your scene should be at least a couple of pages long.