| |
Q. |
There are already a lot of books about playwriting and screenwriting. What makes this one different? |
A. |
Many books tell you how to write a play or screenplay. Some do this through explanations of dramatic theory. Some offer a formula to help you complete a script. The Dramatic Writer's Companion doesn't tell you how to write a play. Instead, it helps you learn how to write this play - the one you're working on now - and it does so by combining dramatic theory and action steps in a way that sets this guide apart from the rest.
Rather than being another "how to" manual with a linear or formulaic prescription for scriptwriting, The Dramatic Writer's Companion is a creative and analytical reference tool that can be used as needed to accomplish specific tasks on a particular play or screenplay in development. In effect, the focus of the guide is always your current script and what it needs next.
This focus is supported by a unique nonlinear design that features more than sixty in-depth self-contained exercises for dramatic writers. You can use these exercises in any order and any number of times to address different issues that may arise as you write, revise, and edit. Your ongoing use of the guide will reflect not only your individual writing process, but also your current script development needs, whether it's fleshing out a new character, tackling a problem scene, or analyzing your story. This self-directed nonlinear approach aligns with the creative process, builds on the notion that there is no one way to develop a script, and offers you a comprehensive support tool with indefinite shelf life. |
| |
|
Q. |
Is this guide mostly for playwrights or screenwriters? |
A. |
The Dramatic Writer's Companion is written from a playwright's perspective, but includes screenwriters as well as playwrights in its embrace since both types of dramatic writers face many of the same character, scene, and story challenges. Guide exercises address these common issues and include script analyses from hundreds of plays and films, including both contemporary and classical masterworks. |
| |
|
Q. |
What is most distinctive about the exercises themselves? |
A. |
Their power to help you discover, explore, and analyze your own ideas - not someone else's. By blending theory with action steps, these workshop-tested exercises guide you dynamically into new directions - not "before" or "after" but literally "as" story is being created. In other words, these are not exercises for their own sake. Nor are they templates for storytelling or diversions that only skim the surface of thought. Perhaps the strongest and most valued feedback the author has received from writers over the years is that these in-depth exercises enable them to work purely from themselves - freely and personally - to find the stories they really wanted to tell. |
| |
|
Q. |
Does the guide have any other special features that I should know about? |
A. |
To help you select exercises as you develop your script and assess its progress, the guide includes a detailed menu of exercise summaries as well as an at-a-glance menu for quick reference. At the end of the guide, you also will find a special troubleshooting section that highlights twenty common script problems and identifies specific exercises in the guide that can help you find solutions. |
| |
|
Q. |
How were these particular exercises chosen? |
A. |
Over the past twenty years, the author has conducted over fifteen hundred workshops for playwrights and screenwriters and has consistently used exercises like these to address the specific character, scene, and story issues that surfaced from week to week during script critiques. The Dramatic Writer's Companion represents the best of these exercises which have been subsequently tested with different writer groups and refined, as needed, for best results. |
| |
|
Q. |
Wouldn't I be better off just writing my script instead of doing exercises? |
A. |
These are not separate activities since you never really leave your script when you are using The Dramatic Writer's Companion. Each exercise focuses on the unique challenges of your characters, your scenes, and your story. In effect, doing an exercise is the same as working on your script - with some guidance added. |
| |
|
Q. |
What if I've never developed a script before? |
A. |
The guide is meant for writers who are working on a script now or about to begin one. Some familiarity with a dramatic writing process will make it easier to explore and take advantage of the nonlinear design of the book. At the same time, however, each exercise highlights or demonstrates principles of dramatic writing that are often at work in master scripts. For experienced writers, these principles serve as reminders of storytelling basics to either exploit, bend, or ignore. For beginners, they can provide succinct and practical introductions to writing for stage or screen. |
| |
|
Q. |
Is there anything new about the dramatic theory in this guide? |
A. |
What most makes the guide unique is its nonlinear design, individual focus, and translation of dramatic theory into specific action steps. This theory reflects principles of dramatic storytelling often illustrated in successful plays and screenplays, but does break with some traditional approaches in its emphasis on character as the root function of scene and story. In effect, every exercise in the guide, including every scene and story exercise, is viewed essentially as a character exploration. |
| |
|
Q. |
With a book that's nonlinear, how will I know where to begin or what to do next? |
A. |
Be sure to read the introduction "About This Guide" which explains how this unique reference tool works. If you prefer to have more structure in selecting exercises, the guide suggests when each may be best to use during the script development process. |
| |
|
Q. |
How long does it take to do an exercise? |
A. |
That depends on you. Most exercises in the guide can be completed in thirty minutes or less. |
| |
|
Q. |
Are these exercises geared more to individual or group use? |
A. |
The guide addresses the individual playwright or screenwriter and focuses on an individual play or screenplay - the one the writer is working on now. However, every exercise in the guide can easily be adapted to the needs of writing workshops, classes, and other groups. In fact, each exercise evolved from critique activities in a workshop setting and was originally designed for use by a group of writers. |
| |
|
Q. |
I also write fiction. Would these exercises work for that as well? |
A. |
As storytellers, fiction writers face many of the same issues as playwrights and screenwriters. For example, they need to develop compelling characters and engaging stories. While the guide speaks directly to playwrights and screenwriters, most of the exercises can be easily adapted to the needs of fiction writers. In fact, the author has successfully used a number of these same exercises in workshops where participants were writing fiction and creative nonfiction. |
| |
|
Q. |
How do I get a copy? |
A. |
Through the University of Chicago Press or most major bookstores. The Dramatic Writer's Companion (352 pages) is available in both cloth and paper versions. Click here to obtain your copy. |
| |
|
|
|
 |
ABOUT PRIVATE CONSULTATIONS
| Q. | | May I receive a private consultation if I don't live in or near your San Francisco office? |
|---|
| A. | | Yes. Will Dunne can conduct private consultations with writers anywhere in world via Internet, telephone, fax, or mail. Writers in the San Francisco Bay Area and in the Chicago area also have the option to meet with Will in person to discuss their work.
|
|---|
| Q. | | What do I need to have ready for a private consultation?
|
|---|
| A. | | That depends on your goal. You may want to focus only on a story idea, outline, treatment, or problem scene with one-on-one support from Will Dunne. Or you may wish to receive a script evaluation of a completed play or screenplay draft that you want to develop further.
|
|---|
| Q. | | What form does the feedback take?
|
|---|
| A. | | Consultations can be customized to your individual needs and budget. Typically, the main feedback on the script is the one-one-one discussion of it with Will. This is reinforced by general summary comments and specific page-by-page comments written on the script itself. You also have the option to request a set of formal written comments instead of, or in addition to, the discussion of the script with Will.
|
|---|
| Q. | | How much does a private consultation cost?
|
|---|
| A. | | Consultation fees are billed at a rate of US$90 per hour. The total fee for a service depends on how many hours are required to perform it. Consultations may range from one hour to several, depending on your needs and budget, and can be scheduled individually or on a regularly recurring basis.
|
|---|
| Q. | | What is the average cost for a critique of a full-length play or screenplay?
|
|---|
| A. | | The time it takes to critique a script depends on the subject matter, text density, page count, and writing professionalism. On average, it takes about 4.0 Hours to read, analyze, and annotate a full-length script, and about 1.50 Hours to discuss it with the writer, for an average critique time of 5.50 Hours and an average fee of US$495 (5.50 Hours X $90).
|
|---|
| Q. | | Are there are any other costs besides the consultation fee?
|
|---|
| A. | | No, except for the cost of postage on the self-addressed, stamped envelope you include with your submission for the return of your script. All long-distance telephone fees are included in the consultation fee.
|
|---|
| Q. | | How do I obtain a private consultation?
|
|---|
| A. | | Just email us now or call (415) 609-8670 to obtain a private consultation that best fits your needs.
|
|---|
ABOUT WORKSHOPS
| Q. | | What happens in a Story Weekend workshop?
|
|---|
| A. | | Designed for playwrights and screenwriters now working on a script or about to begin one, this unique weekend intensive offers in-depth writing exercises, actor support, and group discussions of your work plus eligibility to participate in our New Writers/New Works staged reading series. The program usually includes three weekend sessions each quarter. Each is self-contained so that you can sign up for one, two, or all three sessions. Many writers use Story Weekend as an ongoing resource for script development.
|
|---|
| Q. | | What type of script can I work on?
|
|---|
| A. | | Any type of dramatic script -- such as a stage play, screenplay, or radio play -- of any size -- from one act to full-length. You choose your genre, subject, and style.
|
|---|
| Q. | | What can I expect to accomplish?
|
|---|
| A. | | That's up to you. The workshop offers an in-depth writing exercise on Saturday morning to help you write a new scene for your script, and gives you the opportunity to hear two previously written scenes read by actors and discussed by the group. (Some writers on Sunday afternoon present the scene they wrote on Saturday morning). Each workshop also offers a global exercise to help you see the "big picture" of your characters and story.
|
|---|
| Q. | | Can I use a laptop during the writing exercises?
|
|---|
| A. | | You're welcome to use whatever writing tools you choose. Some writers prefer laptops. Some prefer pen and paper. And many use a combination of tools as they move from initial exploratory steps to actual scene writing.
|
|---|
| Q. | | Is Story Weekend mostly for playwrights or screenwriters?
|
|---|
| A. | | The program attracts both types of dramatic writers since we focus on character development and story structure issues common to both forms. In most workshops, the majority of writers in the group are playwrights.
|
|---|
| Q. | | What is a Weekend Pass?
|
|---|
| A. | | Designed for beginners and other observers, a Weekend Pass lets you audit any or all Story Weekend workshop activities. You can follow along during writing exercises, observe scene readings and critiques, and meet a great group of Bay Area writers and actors in the process. The cost of a Weekend Pass is $60 per weekend.
|
|---|
| Q. | | What happens in a Shorts workshop?
|
|---|
| A. | | A self-contained creative weekend experience, each Shorts workshop uses theme elements and step-by-step writing exercises to guide you through the process of writing a short play, from blank page to completed draft, to a reading by Bay Area actors. While the workshop is designed for experienced playwrights, it has been successful with confident beginners and can be a great boost for writers who feel blocked, or rusty, or just want a writing change of pace. It's fun, it's creative -- and it all happens in one weekend!
|
|---|
| Q. | | Where do these workshops meet?
|
|---|
| A. | | In the downtown San Francisco theatre district at the Phoenix Theatre Annex, Fourth Floor, 414 Mason Street, near Geary.-- about a block from Union Square.
|
|---|
| Q. | | When do these workshops meet?
|
|---|
| A. | | From 10 AM to 5 PM on Saturday (with a one hour lunch break) and 1 to 5 PM on Sundays. The door opens 30 minutes before each workshop begins.
|
|---|
| Q. | | When does the next workshop begin?
|
|---|
| A. | | Story Weekend workshops are usually offered monthly on an ongoing basis. Shorts workshops are offered periodically. Check the current workshop schedule to find out what's being offered now. and the future workshop schedule to see what's ahead.
|
|---|
| Q. | | Have any scripts had a life beyond the workshop?
|
|---|
| A. | | Over the past 19 years, many workshop scripts have received honors and awards in national competitions such as those sponsored by the Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center, Sundance, Independent Spirit Awards, Writer's Digest, and Fade In Magazine. Some scripts also have generated honors and awards in local competitions as well as grants from the California Arts Council and Marin Arts Council. Many works have gone on to production. In addition, excerpts from selected works-in-progress are presented publicly in the New Writers/ New Works staged reading series. Public staged readings of completed drafts are facilitated on an as-needed basis.
|
|---|
| Q. | | How much does a workshop cost?
|
|---|
| A. | | Check the current workshop schedule for workshop fees. You can save up to $70 if you sign up in advance for a series of three Story Weekends. Tuition payment plans also are available for series members.
|
|---|
| Q. | | How do I sign up for a workshop?
|
|---|
| A. | | Email us now or call (415) 609-8670 to request enrollment in the workshop of your choice. If space is available, you can reserve your spot with a nonrefundable deposit toward the tuition amount. Workshops tend to fill in advance, so plan ahead and sign up early for the workshop you want.
|
|---|
| Q. | | After the deposit, when is the tuition balance due?
|
|---|
| A. | | When you arrive for your first workshop session. You may pay either by check or in cash. And, if you prefer to pay the balance in installments over an extended period of time, tuition payment plans are available.
|
|---|
|
|
