• Your outline will deal  with the who, what, where, and when of your stage or screen play's story. E. M. Forster tells us "The King died, then the Queen died is the story. The King Died, then the Queen died of grief is the plot."
• The outline sketches the story; i.e., '...the facts, Ma'am... just the facts!'   The details of how and why are the purview of the plot, in the unfolding action, where-in the magic of  both play and screen writing lives. This is where I can be of most help to you.
• An outline helps me grasp your intent. This protects both of us;  I should say me and your work. I won't accidentally try to reshape your ideas in an inappropriate manner, so long as you make the world of the play absolutely clear. Take time with your outline. Try to get it right. Regard it as a mutable document, not a rigid template. We can adjust it as drafts emerge. It also becomes enormously useful as a sales and fundraising document later on. But from the get-go, you have got to script a strong sense of the Gestalt of your entire play, beginning, middle and end. Otherwise your characters will lead you around by the befuddled, increasingly frustrated, ineffectual nose.

One Page:

Send me a personal one page document telling me why you are writing this particular play. Why do I need to know that?
 

• Plays come from the heart or head, initially. Let's have a look at the deep drive behind your urge to write this particular piece.
 
• It is said we should write about that which we know. This makes sense early on. But like all aphorisms, it tells only part of the story. We also learn as we go. Be willing to explore what you intuit, but don't yet fully understand. Let's look at the prime urge that fostered your play's conception.

When I say one page, I mean precisely that: 200 to 250 words. As with the outline, more than the prescribed number of words I will not read. So please be precise.

Why so particular? In the final analysis, playwriting  for both stage and screen is about intuition clearly, precisely rendered... so let's start here and now.

Early Draft

A theatre audience constitutes a living, breathing organism. as does a cinema audience.  The one unforgivable sin in the theatre is to bore your audience. (See what American playwright Charles Ludlum has to say on the matter in Favourite Quotes. The playwright/sceenwriter's first job is to entertain:  edification, transformation, exhilaration are all lost on a bored, restless audience that leaves the theatre feeling vaguely cheated.

A finished two act play is about 20,000 words in length, averaging a minute and a half per page, standard format. A feature is about 110-120 pages, standard format,  depending on style.

This translates to about two hours in the theatre, plus or minus a fifteen or twenty minute intermission in live theatre. I accept work anywhere up to 22,500 words in length. Beyond that, I charge an additional ten cents a word. Beyond 25,000 words, I send the too long play back to you unread, minus a 20% handling fee.  (Note: Exceptions negotiable in advance on a per play basis   in the case of  linked plays, e.g., a trilogy, or work specifically intended to be of extraordinary length)

We'll discuss the length of your screenplay before you send it along. My fee depends on the amount of work required to bring a screenplay to a proper length.

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Practical Matters

• Call or E-mail  and we'll establish the dramaturgy fee. (Note to screenwriters: Writer's Guild of Canada terms and conditions apply)

• Mail (call 514 270 1948 for mailing address) or E-mail me an Early Draft of your play. For standard play ms. layout, see  Excerpt: New Arcadia.

• Attach your play as a Word Perfect 7 (or earlier) document, or in Rich Text Format  (converted from Mac or MS Word, for example)

• Attach or enclose your Outline and One Page (see above)

• E-mail is my preferred method. First contact: playwork@isn.net

Don't use e-mail?

• Submissions by regular mail are also welcome. Call 514 270 1948 and we'll make arrangements for the delivery of your text.

 
Please note:

1) I retain the right to return, unprocessed, material which I consider spurious, racist, puerile, sexist or mean spirited.

2) Credit card payments are not currently accepted.

3) When requested, appropriate text imbedded credit will be required acknowledging;
 

Kent Stetson's
MasterPlayWorks

Dramaturgy/Story Editing Service.