Where to Begin Writing?

The NJ Young Playwrights Festival is where I got my start working with youth playwriting. The festival was a product of Writers Theatre of NJ until it closed its doors at the end of 2019. While I was there, I maintained a blog with info and advice for young writers. As I begin a new year of the Young Playwrights Guide, I plan to repurpose and repost some of the work from that site.

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Figuring out what to write is frustrating. The stops and starts you experience when first sitting down to write are just the mind’s way of sorting out all the potential places from which to begin. For some writers, starting is simply about putting pen to paper… or fingers to keyboard… and letting the ideas flow. The important thing to them is that words get written on the paper… or screen. Other writers will take time to think things through; perhaps creating detailed outlines or sketches before diving in. And still other writers have other methods - the ways to begin are as numerous as the people who sit down to write. There is no “best” way to start, but the best thing is to get started.

We'll begin with an article written by Alexandra R. Moses for Edutopia Magazine, an online and print publication from the George Lucas Educational Fund (yup, that George Lucas). The article centers on young playwrights programs across the county (including those sponsored by Writers
Theatre) and is mainly geared for classroom teachers. However, there is some good information in there for young playwrights, particularly in the links to writing samples and guidelines/tips from other contests and festivals. The link is http://www.edutopia.org/student-playwrights-project-playwriting

Keep checking this blog for writing tips and more information. For now, get writing!

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