A short play (and a quick read). Two characters. Time: Right now. warning-label-npxDownload
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Fiasco
A short play (and a quick read). Two characters. They're a couple. Time: Right now. fiasco_charlie-lyonsDownload
“I Might Like You Better If We Slept Together …”
... But there's somethingIn your eyes that saysMaybe that's neverNever say never Romeo Void - Never Say Never Unless you're a character in a script. In which case, say never at least once if possible. This is because never is wonderfully extreme. It's filled with conviction. And it, whatever it is, defines your character. Best [...]
PUT on the PAGE what you want to SEE on the SCREEN
I've tried to practice this for sometime (and presumably the screenwriters from whom I learned it have too). After all, movies and TV are comprised of sound and vision, so put that sound and vision on the page and -- Voilà -- Got Movie or TV show. No wonder people say writing is easy. But [...]
Show Don’t Tell
Show don't tell. This is a common mantra for script writers. It's not a bad one either. In fact, it's a rocking good one. "I'm watching this movie/TV show/play, so show me what happens don't tell me!" We - the audience - want to see the conflict. So Show-don't-tell is an admonition against blatant exposition [...]
“Does Your TV Pilot Have A Story Engine?”
Some version of this question seems to get asked ... A LOT. No, surprise. After all, the whole point of a TV pilot is that it's the beginning of a TV series, so how's this beginning going to lead to a very very long middle? How's this first script lead to 50 more or 100 [...]
The Attitude of a Character
Years ago, when one of the writers groups I belong to met at the Calderwood Pavilion in the South End in Boston, we'd go out for drinks after our meetings. On one such night, we went to Coda. There was a guy at the writers group that night that was friends with the person who [...]
The Intensity of the Want
“The thing the character wants need not be violent or spectacular; it is the intensity of the wanting that counts.” Writing Fiction: A Guide to Narrative Craft, by Janet Burroway. What a great, simple observation about story telling that gets right to the core of things. And this intensity of the wanting applies to both [...]
Margaret The Maid The Son
My new play! A dark comedy about a wealthy woman who calls I.C.E. to have her longtime maid deported in an attempt to keep a family secret from coming out. Come hear wonderful actors read it. Laugh, cry, get angry. I'll be there to get your feedback. Open this blog post for TICKETS Sunday, December [...]
Charlie Lyons Writes 