Monologue to Scene
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If you've already written a monologue, and are interested in developing a play, this is the exercise for you! These steps will help you identify essential information about the story you've created in your monologue and will ask you questions to begin to turn your monologue into a scene!
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You can also download this exercise in a single page PDF that's easy to print!
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You will need…
STEP ONE:
Read through your monologue at least twice from beginning to end. First, get a feel for your existing draft. Next, read through looking for one word or line that really sticks out. Choose one line or word that you feel is the heart of the monologue. Ask yourself why that line or word feels important. Does it summarize the theme? Change the character’s mind? How might it affect an audience?
STEP TWO:
Now find the 5 W’s of your monologue:
STEP THREE:
Now answer the following questions about your monologue:
STEP FOUR:
Now that you have all this information, choose one of the following prompts to begin writing a longer scene based around your monologue.
As you revise, you should feel free to introduce new characters or change the person to whom your character is speaking. This is a great way to explore raising the stakes!
STEP FIVE:
You can work on several of these prompts to begin to develop various scenes for your play. Put them together in an order that makes sense and begin to think about the arc of your play’s story. Choose an introduction scene, a climax scene, and a resolution (beginning, middle, and end) for your play.
©Philadelphia Young Playwrights 2015
- Pen/Pencil
- Paper
- Existing Monologue Draft
STEP ONE:
Read through your monologue at least twice from beginning to end. First, get a feel for your existing draft. Next, read through looking for one word or line that really sticks out. Choose one line or word that you feel is the heart of the monologue. Ask yourself why that line or word feels important. Does it summarize the theme? Change the character’s mind? How might it affect an audience?
STEP TWO:
Now find the 5 W’s of your monologue:
- Who is your speaker? Who are they speaking to?
- What does your speaker want? What is in the way of them getting what they want? This is your conflict.
- Where is the speaker? How does setting affect what the speaker can or can’t say?
- When does the monologue take place? What time of day? Time of year? When did your character first begin to want the thing that they are now speaking about?
- Finally, most importantly, and most difficultly, why does the speaker need to say these words RIGHT NOW? Monologues tend to come from a strong, active NEED to speak in a particular moment.
STEP THREE:
Now answer the following questions about your monologue:
- Could your monologue start a scene? End one?
- What happens immediately before or after this speech?
- How does the location or time affect the scene? Where would this character be able to speak the most clearly/intimately/angrily? What place or time might enable them to admit secrets or desires?
STEP FOUR:
Now that you have all this information, choose one of the following prompts to begin writing a longer scene based around your monologue.
- The heart of your monologue, the line or word you chose, becomes the first sentence or word of a longer scene. What would the person to whom your character is speaking say in response?
- Write the scene that happens immediately before your monologue. How does your character build up the courage to say what she says? What drives him to finally speak out?
- Write the scene that happens immediately after your monologue. How do other characters react to what your character says? What do they say? What do they do? What happens next?
- Return to your original monologue. Give the person your character is speaking to permission to interrupt your character whenever they want to. Add in lines for that person wherever you think they would want to interrupt. Your monologue will need to change in order for your first character to respond to these interruptions.
- Choose a new character and write a scene where the character from your monologue asks this new character for help or advice in dealing with the problem/conflict from your monologue.
As you revise, you should feel free to introduce new characters or change the person to whom your character is speaking. This is a great way to explore raising the stakes!
STEP FIVE:
You can work on several of these prompts to begin to develop various scenes for your play. Put them together in an order that makes sense and begin to think about the arc of your play’s story. Choose an introduction scene, a climax scene, and a resolution (beginning, middle, and end) for your play.
©Philadelphia Young Playwrights 2015
