Introduction & 7 Steps for Writing a Monologue
Ever seen an opportunity which asks for a monologue and wondered where to start? Or perhaps there is a moment in your play which you know calls for a monologue but you’re not sure how to make sure it packs a punch and keeps the plot moving forward? Well, in this workshop, we’ll be looking at all things monologue-related, from our top tips to some inspirational exercises and a little competition that will get you writing a monologue this summer!
7 Steps for writing a monologue
1. Hook the reader!
Often, when we see a big chunk of text on the page, it can be tempting to skim read it. In our rushed world, something which looks as though it’s going to take up our time can be off putting, so you need to make sure your monologue hooks the reader from the very beginning. Try posing a question or a problem or show your character responding to something which has happened in your play – in a surprising way.
2. Maintain the voice of your character
It’s true that a monologue is a great moment for a character to discuss their inner most feelings. But that doesn’t mean you can completely abandon their usual way of speaking. The monologue will seem out of place if your character speaks in a different voice, especially if they adopt a different vocabulary or rhythm. On the other hand, if you maintain your character’s voice throughout their speech, your monologue will be much richer and all the more credible for it.
3. Keep the action going
Whilst your monologue will most likely include some description and in some sense, jolt your audience out of the action for a while, it should still have something going on! You might find it useful to think of your monologue in terms of a mini three-act structure. Does it have a ‘first act’ where a problem is posed, followed by a revelation and perhaps even a battle at the end?
4. Give your monologue a purpose
Why is your monologue there? Is it to give your audience a chance to reflect on the action? Or is it the only chance a character has to reveal their true feelings? If you feel like your monologue is there ‘just for the sake of it’ then this will come across in the writing – make sure it has a purpose and keeps things moving forward, as above.
5. Reveal something new about the character
A monologue is a chance to reveal something about your character – it might be a moment from their past, something they have been hiding or something new they are just discovering about themselves. Either way this is your chance to entice your audience with a big reveal.
6. Come in late, get out early
The old screenwriting adage is true! Whilst monologues are long in nature, they don’t have to be superfluous. Don’t waffle in your monologue, cut to the chase and get out before you start to bore your audience…that leads us nicely on to…
7. End with a bang!
Or, at least with something interesting. End with a final moment of revelation, something emotional or something which sets up some intrigue for the next moment in your play, whatever that may be.
Finally got round to this, and in fact I’m more interested in a monologue as a complete (e.g. one-woman) play, rather than part of a play. But I’m sure the points above are relevant to both. I recall a tweet by Stephen Gregg alone the lines of, if a character has a monologue, the writer should consider what is stopping the other characters from getting a word in edgeways ….