Writers' Forum

Services provided to authors by Moving Parts

The opportunity to obtain feedback on your work, including :
•  hearing your work read by professional actors.
•  informed audience reaction and friendly criticism.
•  practical suggestions from other authors.
•  contacts for further information.
•  help in finishing plays which have "got stuck".
•  proof-reading of texts.
•  contacts for translation of texts into French.

Helpline, FAQ and pearls of wisdom for everyone to contribute

Writing, apparently, is the best fun you can have on your own.
But that's part of the problem. You are on your own.
So here's a space where you can give each other a helping hand
by sharing some of your insights and experiences.

Pearls of Wisdom

In order to break the rules you should know the rules first

Revise, revise, revise!

Set up your pay-offs and pay off your set-ups

There are only two kinds of play : those requiring more than six actors, and those that get produced

Don't start writing too soon...    more

The best playwright is a dead playwright...     find out why

Constructive daydreaming...    more

Screenwriting : the three-act structure...    more

Playwriting 101: though you may want a character to stand for something, make sure she is flesh and blood first, and not just a mouthpiece for the ideas you want put forth. When the characters take on life, they inevitably deepen the ideas you are trying to portray.

Writing in the morning...    more

The whole thing must be TRUE...   more

Don't leave your audience staring at an empty stage!
If you have only one character on stage, you'd better not have him leave unless there are going to be some VERY interesting off-stage noises to keep them happy while he's gone...

and this space is waiting for your contribution :
please send it to forum'at'movingparts.org.uk
(well-known symbol replaced by 'at' to avoid detection by nasty web-crawly things)

Frequently Asked Questions

Click on the links to read the FGA (Frequently Given Answers)
or contribute missing answers to forum'at'movingparts.org.uk

Q.1) Can playwriting be taught?	FGA.1
Q.2) How do I know when to end my play?	FGA.2
Q.3) What's the best way to get a first, or early, production in New York City, especially if you're working outside the United States?	FGA.3
Q.4) Does anyone have any info on theatre spaces in Paris where new work can be mounted?
Q.5) How should I prepare my play for a Moving Parts reading?	FGA.5
Q.6) How involved are you with the direction of your plays?	FGA.6
Q.7) Is there a network of English language directors in Paris interested in working on new plays?
Q.8) Should my play be workshopped more than once?	FGA.8