Monologue Writing Workshop

1. Dealing with the Past

These are very common monologue stories. To illuminate something that is currently happening in the script, a character relates a past story. The problem with these types of monologues is when a character says, "I remember." "I remember" creates an insular experience; it's something that only happened to the character and it's difficult for the audience to share in the event. Another problem with past monologues is the use of the past tense. When something has happened in the past, it's over, it's done. Using the present tense is much more alive and active.

EXERCISE

Write a monologue where the first line is 'I remember when…' and uses the past tense.
Re-write the monologue, taking out all mentions of 'remembering.'
Re-write the monologue in the present tense.
Read aloud the first version and then the third. Discuss the differences.

2. Making the Story Count

If a character tells a story, "I went to the grocery store and THIS JUST HAPPENED," there has to be something besides the base story going on for the audience. There has to be more. The story has to show something: character flaw, a plot point we didn't know, a lie, a romance, and so on.

EXERCISE

We'll be using this scenario as a base for most of the upcoming exercises.

Write a monologue where the character tells a story about going to a parade.
Re-write the monologue so that by telling the story, the audience sees the character is a liar.
Re-write the monologue so that by telling the story, the audience sees the character is heartbroken.
Re-write the monologue so that by telling the story, the audience sees the character is in love.

3. Beginning to End

Monologues must have a beginning, middle and end. Not only that, there has to be a journey, a change, a shift from the beginning to the end of the monologue. This exercise focuses on creating an extreme change!

EXERCISE

Below are three unrelated beginning/endings. Write a monologue to connect each beginning/ending.

I got the job! / The fish are dead. So am I.
You disgust me. / I love you more than anything.
I'm going to Nigeria. / This coffee is gross.

Section Two

Vivid characters create vivid monologues. Will you use all these details in the monologue? Of course not. But the more you know about them, the more specifically you'll be able to write for them.

You're going to create a character. Use this character for as many of the upcoming exercises as possible.

1. Character Profile

The amount of details you can come up with for a character profile are limitless. Basically, all the small pieces of information that go into making you, should be created for a character.

EXERCISE

Decide on the following:

Full Name. Age.
Family Situation.
- e.g. only child, brothers, sisters, two parents, single parent home
Relationship Situation.
- e.g. married, divorced, single, boyfriend/girlfriend, still living at home
Living Situation.
- e.g. urban, rural, house, rental apartment
Describe Their Bedroom.
- e.g. we can learn a lot by how a person lives
A Childhood memory.
A Secret.
A favourite food and a least favourite food.

2. Character Questions:

Questions are an excellent tool to take writing to the next level: they are something you can answer! Ask you character questions and see what you learn about them.

EXERCISE

Answer the following questions about the character:

What does this character want in the next five minutes?
In the next five hours?
In the next five days?
In the next five years?
What do they want for themselves?
For their family?
For their loved ones?
For the town/city they live in?
For the country? For the world?

Discuss the discrepancies in the answers (and there should be some!). Every person has wants both big and small and often those wants contradict each other. This is what makes them three-dimensional and human.

EXERCISE

Now that you know the character, re-write the monologue where the character talks about going to a parade. What can you do to re-write the monologue so it clearly shows the character you've just created?
Make the listener in the monologue someone from the character profile.

3. The Need to Speak

In every monologue a character must 'need to speak.' Otherwise, why is the monologue there? In every monologue you write, you must determine the need for the character to speak. What drives the character? Is there anything that stands in the way of the character's need to speak?

EXERCISE

Look at your Parade Monologue. Re-write the monologue to give the character a definite 'need to speak.' Choose one from the list below or create your own.

NOTE: The character doesn't have to successfully get out this need. Maybe they need to speak but in the end they're too afraid, or they change their mind, or there is something in the way of their need. Obstacles are good! Flaws make excellent material.

Define the need, and then based on the character you've created decide if they are able to go through with it.
- The character needs to reveal a secret to the listener.
- The character needs to prove something to the listener.
- The character needs to reveal they love the listener.
- The character needs to reveal they hate the listener.
- The character needs to stand up to the listener.

4. A Journey

It is essential that there is emotion in your monologue. And just as there needs to be a journey in the story from the beginning to the end, there needs to be an emotional journey. There's nothing worse than a one note emotional monologue! Variety is the key.

EXERCISE

Take your parade monologue and re-write it with the following emotional journeys:
- The character starts MAD and ends HAPPY.
- The character starts SAD and ends PROUD.
- The character starts FEARFUL and ends JOYFUL.
- The character starts JEALOUS and ends with COMPASSION.

How do we find intense emotion? The answer can often be found in the character's 'need to speak.' What is their need? How do they go for that need? What happens to the character emotionally if they succeed? What happens to the character emotionally if they fail?

EXERCISE

Take your Parade monologue.
Determine on the best 'need to speak' scenario for your character.
Determine the emotional quality that best represents this 'need' for the beginning of the monologue.
Decide if the character succeeds or fails in achieving their 'need' at the end of the monologue.
Determine the emotional quality that best represents their success or failure.
Re-write the monologue to show all of the above.

5. Voice of the Character

All characters should speak in a specific language that illuminates their personality. This is especially important in monologues, where we focus on a character for more than a couple of lines. When creating a language for a character think about the sentence structure: sentence length, contractions, vocabulary, predominant punctuation.

EXERCISE

This exercises focuses on the structure, rather than content. For this first exercise do not use the Parade Monologue character.

Write a monologue where the character speaks in one word sentences.
Write a monologue where the character is very verbose. Use long, long sentences. The sentences should take up two lines at least!
Write a monologue where the character speaks in one- and two-syllable syllable words only.
Write a monologue where the character speaks mainly in three and four syllable words.
Write a monologue where the character uses no contractions.
Write a monologue where the character's dialogue is littered with slang.

EXERCISE

Now that you've explored a variety of structure styles, go back to your Parade Monologue.

Looking at the character, their situation, and their environment, decide on the language structure of your character.
Re-write the Parade monologue to reflect the specific language of the character.

6. Involving your Audience

When you write a monologue, all the audience has is the words and their imagination. The writer must be able to create images with their words which will come alive in the audience's mind.

EXERCISE

Write a monologue where the character describes a sunset. The listener of the monologue is blind and has never seen a sunset. Make sure this is a monologue and not a narrative paragraph. There must be a defined speaker (who speaks in the first person) and listener.
EXERCISE
Listen to a piece of music. Write a monologue where the character is listening to the same piece of music. What does it bring out of him or her?

EXERCISE

Re-write the Parade Monologue using the five senses. Don't worry if they're not all suitable for your final product. You'll get a chance to take those out later. For this exercise focus on using all five senses in the monologue.

7. Surprises

Always remember you are writing drama and not real life. Telling a story about a parade may happen in real life, but in theatre, there must be a journey, a change, a shift, a twist. We should get much more out of the monologue than a story about a parade. There should always be something unexpected to make the audience sit straight up in their seats.

EXERCISE

Do not use the Parade Monologue for this exercise.

Write a monologue where a person enters a room.
Define who the person is, what the room is and why are in the room.
Once this is defined, the character pulls an object out of their briefcase, bag, purse. It's something that doesn't belong but you must incorporate into the monologue:
- Object List: Golf ball, Mango, Teddy bear, stopped watch, smooth stone, postage stamp, can opener, Miniature Empire State Building, Tea bag, Chinese slipper.

EXERCISE

Do not use the Parade Monologue for this exercise.

Write a monologue where a character is sitting on a dock at midnight, talking to a loved one.
Rewrite this monologue where the loved one is sitting beside the character is a dead body.

EXERCISE

Look at the Parade Monologue.
Keeping in mind the character, the character's 'need to speak,' the listener, the specific language, add something unexpected.

Section Seven

An efficient lean monologue is always going to be more effective than a rambling bloated monologue. Monologues do not have to be long! Establish what the character needs to accomplish in the monologue and set out to show this in the least number of sentences possible.

EXERCISE

Do not use the Parade Monologue for this exercise.

Write a monologue that is one page long.
Re-write the monologue and cut ten sentences. Strive to keep the essence of story and character.
Re-write the monologue and cut ten more sentences. Strive to keep the essence of story and character.
The final version of the monologue is ten sentences long or less. Strive to keep the essence of story and character.

EXERCISE

Look at the Parade Monologue.
Cut at least five sentences.
Can you cut more? Can you cut ten? What is the least number of sentences you need to efficiently and still effectively share the character's 'need to speak?'

8. Edits

Write out a clean copy of the Parade Monologue.
Consider everything we've explored in the exercises and strive to include an element of each.
At the end, there should be a specific character, with a specific language, speaking in the present tense, on an emotional journey. The monologue should be efficiently written with something unexpected to make the audience really pay attention.

9. Questions

As I've said before, questions are an excellent tool to move your writing forward. Now that you have the Parade Monologue exactly where you want it, answer these final questions. By this point the answers should come easily!

Who is the character speaking to?
Why are they speaking to them?
What has the character been holding inside?
Why is it important to speak at this exact moment in time?
What will happen after they’re finished speaking?
How will this monologue affect the character?
How will the monologue affect the listener?

Adapted from www.theatrefolk.com