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Mag’s Spine.

A super objective is “the unit of desire that drives the unity of action that is the spine of the plot;” this imagery and word choice intrigued me. In Beauty Queen of Leenane, Mag is a character of unparalleled intrigue. She also often complains of her “bad back.” Her super objective is to maintain the […]

We hold these truths to be self evident…blah blah blah

To me, fact is something that can be proven. But this logic applies strictly to my writing as a journalist. Unless I have something stated officially or proven to me I am not going to publish it as a fact. That’s just the way I was taught, I need reliable sources to form my credibility. […]

This is Your Brain on Fluff

What is one character from Beauty Queen of Leenane? What is their super objective and why? One character from Beauty Queen of Leenane (you’ve read it, right?) is Maureen. (Score! Half done!) Maureen’s “super objective”, that is to say, her overarching goal for the entire play, is to get laid. ‘Why is she so determined to […]

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

In Martin McDonagh’s The Beauty Queen of Leenane, the main characters’ motivations seem very clear.  Whether they want security, freedom, love, or power, each person has one thing that drives them to actions both horrible and mundane.  But one character stands out in his lack of standing out: Ray Dooley.  The kid seems like he’s […]

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You

Man loves a woman There’s just one little problem He’s an alien   And now, Granth MkDoil must convince his girlfriend, Nessa, of his extraterrestrial origin so that he can propose marriage to her.  Will she accept him, reject him, or write him off as just plum crazy?  Find out in Cuckoo in the Nest!

Senyru

Fragmented morning Opposites and Attractions New relationship?

Faith, Trust and Curiosity.

I was particularly drawn to the play Faith Healer because of the format. Without even reading the play, I started to explore a memory piece for my own play. I’m really attracted to the idea of working with less popular formats when playwriting. On a side note, I’m at bit of an advantage when writing […]

What great writing can teach us about Trayvon Martin

What great writing can teach us about Trayvon Martin Great writers are specific in their descriptions in order to create a complete image of their characters and settings. Writers can teach the rest of us how to look at the world more specifically and with more care. 

Pitching a story

When pitching to an editor it is important to start off with why someone would care to read it, start with the most interesting sentence first. Because if you don’t the editors going to immediately push it to the bottom of their list when trying to organize which interesting stories get priority.   So that’s […]

Syllabus Senyru

Week One: Blow their minds Week Two: Quick, write about it! Week Three: Rehearse . . . Ouch