Dream sequences are dull because dreams have no stakes. But what if they did? Teyve's Dream from Fiddler manages to be both goofy and terrifying. (More thrilling on stage than screen.) Teyve relates his dream to his wife because he wants something. facebook.com/watch/?v=44746…

Weaponize your exposition. Turn bits of information into blows. "You have a pHD! You went to YALE!" The audience doesn't mind—or even notice—exposition if it's used to attack. They're so mesmerized by the fight that they don't realize they're being spoon-fed information.

Love this advice from John Brownlow What is the protagonist’s insoluble problem or impossible choice? That’s your elevator pitch.

You don't submit to playwriting competitions to win them. You do it to give yourself hard deadlines for completed drafts. Tnat way, you're using the competition instead of the reverse. #writerslife #amwriting

So much of one's self-esteem is tied up in writing well that writing the first —terrible—draft is actually stressful. But a good play rests on that crappy first draft. So: to maintain your self-esteem you have to trample on it first. #amwriting #writerslife

Two-character scene: A wants. B opposes. Everything either one does or says is a tactic. The tactics get bigger or sneakier. It should feel like a Jackie Chan fight. A throws a garbage lid. B climbs a fire escape. A hits B's bad knee, but B has a knife in her sock...

The longer it takes to write the first draft, the more you invest in it— in a bad way. Write it fast so you can scoff at it. #amwriting #playwriting #WriteTip: Writing Tips, Tricks, Tools, Techniques

How do you know when your play is finished? When you quite like every single scene. That’s it. That’s all there is to it: a clear goal, though not an easy one. #amwriting #writetip

You need to hear your work regularly, to learn how your pages translate to the stage. I'm part of a writing group I love, Lab Twenty6. Professional actors read the work. If you're a playwright, screen-, TV-, or fiction writer in Los Angeles, and want to audit, contact me

Heard recently—and here I'm shamelessly borrowing Martin Malcolm You-Were-Overheard-by-a-Passing-Playwright habit. Man to his ten-year-old son: "Your mom tells me everything even though we don't talk." #amwriting

Not an accident that a good story is often described as a roller coaster. The thrill is the same: danger experienced while completely safe.

You never forget the first person who declares themself a fan of your writing. Make sure you remember to be that person for someone else.

A character who relentlessly pursues one thing will always steal the show.

Hey, anyone in Los Angeles. I've had a laptop crash—a literal crash. Anyone have a data recovery service that they like?

So simple. So clarifying. Thanks, @MonicaBeletsky for posting it.

C. S. Lewis, let's get to work my friends

Lynne Tillman: “The whole 'Can I call myself a writer?' question I found so odd, as if it’s some sort of identity that is separate from the actual act of writing. There is no secret password to being a writer. No secret code. You just do it." #writing

Weaponize your exposition. Turn bits of information into blows. "You have a PhD! You went to YALE!" The audience doesn't mind—or even notice—exposition if it's used to attack. They're so mesmerized by the fight that they don't realize they're being spoon-fed information.

The audience will go along with ANY conceit you introduce in the first 10 pages: The dog and the master converse. ("Sylvia" by A.R. Gurney.) Light and dark are flipped. ("Black Comedy" by Peter Shaffer.) Early is key. Page 30 is too late to introduce the talking dog.

Hamlet's soliloquies add poetry and character depth. But pay attention to how Shakespeare uses them. They're sly transitions. They jump time.