What the heck will my next play be about?
For the purposes of my own writerly development, I want it to have few characters, possibly all female. I know who they are, and I know what their problems are with each other — I just don’t know where to put them.
My tendency is to go nerdy. Magic. Swordfights. Etc. Trouble is, while fairies and witches were all cool for Shakespeare, they come across as a little D&D nowadays.
So, am I actually going to find myself writing a modern family drama?
One reply on “The New Play (pending)”
Not that my opinion is worth a damn, but my theory on this is that when people go "nerdy" in modern works, they tend to heap gobs of sci fi or high fantasy, burying the plot beneath it and you get something that feels shameless and often just bad as a result. Look at any movie made by the Sci Fi channel for evidence.
Shakespeare had magic, but it was usually in the background, an aid to the story rather than the engine of the plot itself. I say put some magic in there, but introduce it late and keep it on the subtle side so it doesn't overpower the story.
A little dab'll do ya.