If you've been involved in a theatrical production or any other artistic production at some point in your life, chances are you're interested in creating something from scratch yourself. A lot of good screenwriters and playwrights start out as members of theatrical groups in school or their communities, and are able to gain enough insight and experience in the theater field to produce good scripts.
Plays are essentially stories, but told in a manner that's not always narrative. You need to be able to develop characters by the way they speak, their mannerisms, and their audience impact. You need to be able to establish setting with dialogue and context clues. Getting started on these involves various skills and abilities that you need to develop early on.
Start with your narrative. The first step in getting started as a playwright is practicing how to write your story. It may not necessarily be in the form of a script. You just need to have that story going on in your head transferred onto paper or electronic form, so you have the freedom to add details, change scenes, and visualize as you go along. You can have various stories and story outlines saved in a notebook or in a file, which you can build upon as you establish a career in playwriting.
Develop your characters. An essential aspect of scripts is character development. Adding depth to your characters makes them more human, and gives the audience an insight into their thoughts and feelings. Details like favorite foods, musical preferences, manner of speaking, fashion sense, and the like are memorable to an audience and make your character more believable. One good way to develop characters is by observing real-world people, and amalgamating or combining their characteristics into your production's characters.
Explore your environment. Art imitates life, and so whatever sensory inputs you encounter in your day to day routine would most likely find their way into your scripts. Each scent you smell, or each scene you view, the warmth or coolness of the weather, and even the food you eat might give you good ideas on how to describe situations or scenes in a play. For this reason, good playwrights don't stay cooped up in their offices in front of the computer screen all day. Go out and travel. And take notes along the way.
Network with other writers. Being part of a writing guild or organization can help you get good feedback from other people who are also into writing plays or even other forms of creative writing. Being with other creative people can inspire you to think and act more creatively. These people will also serve as your support group. They can give you advice on how to pitch your scripts to producers or directors, or how to get sponsorship for your writing activities.
Watch good plays. It probably goes without saying that one way to become a good playwright is by getting into the habit of watching plays. This includes not only big Broadway productions, but also small, independent ones. It's good to have a grasp of a wide range of writing, directing and acting styles. You can also get your inspiration from different stories, genres and even set designs.
Writing a play involves artistic inclination, skills and even marketing on a playwright's part. Be part of the scene. Watch plays. Develop your story, and conceptualize your characters well. You might get your big break one day.
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