Short forms of writing are becoming more common and more popular in a time when audiences and consumers like things fast and easy. They include flash fiction, vignettes, prose poetry, and fillers, and they are ideal for anthologies, e-zines, websites, blogs, podcasts, and performance showcases.
The original short form of drama was the one-act play, which contains only one act, versus three or more acts in a traditional play. However, the one-act play may consist of multiple scenes, whereas the ten-minute play, a sub-genre of the one-act play, consists of only one scene.
The Elements of Drama
Aristotle divided drama into six elements: plot, theme, character, diction, music, and spectacle. In looking at these elements, it is important to remember that by "music," Aristotle meant the rhythm, cadence, sound, and sometimes rhyme of the language used in the play.
Although a ten-minute play is a short form, it contains all six elements of drama. A ten-minute play has a plot with a beginning, middle, and end. In a ten-minute play, theme is usually determined by an overall controlling metaphor, a metaphor around which the entire play is organized. It relies heavily on character (rather than costumes, set design, props, and special effects) to tell a story.
Diction and music become even more significant in a short form, where every word counts. Spectacle usually does not include the traditional costumes of sets of a multiple act stage drama, but must be created in the language, dialogue, and actions of the characters.
The Rules of the Ten-Minute Play Form
- A ten-minute play is approximately 1,500-1,700 words in length.
- The play should be written in play or screenplay form with state directions.
- The play should consist of no more than 2-3 characters.
- The play should take place in one act and one scene with minimal set, costume, and prop requirements.
- Show, don't tell.
- Jump right into the action with minimal exposition.
- Find a theme or metaphor and revise around it.
Characters and Dialogue
It's easy to give the advice "show, don't tell," but what does that mean exactly? In a play, that means showing as much as you can about your characters and their personalities, problems, and motivations through what they say, and how they react to what other characters say.
In dialogue, subtext is very important. Subtext is that which goes unspoken between the characters. Although subtext is hidden, the audience can read between the lines, comping to understand through implicit, rather than explicit meaning, the true motivations of the characters, which is usually at odds with the literal dialogue.
The best way to learn how to write dialogue is not to listen to conversations, and some people advise. The reason is that spoken dialogue differs greatly from written dialogue. Spoken dialogue is full of fillers, such as um and uh, and is very repetitive.
The best way to learn how to write effective dialogue is to read a lot of dialogue. Read plays and screenplays, as well as fiction. Both Raymond Carver and Ernest Hemingway use copious amounts of dialogue in their short fiction, and both are masters of subtext.
Resources for Writing
A number of books and websites are devoted to writing the ten-minute play. These include the site 10-Minute-Plays, which is a rich resource containing information on how to write a ten-minute play as well as a number of examples.
Another great resource is a series of anthologies of ten-minute plays published yearly. The most recent is the 2009 edition: The Best 10-Minute Plays for 2 or More Actors, edited by Lawrence Harbison.
Writers who are looking for the newest and most popular short forms of writing should consider checking out and trying their hand at the ten-minute play. Learning to write in the short form is a great way to learn economy of language and the importance of word choice. The ten-minute-play is is not as easy to write as it may seem, but ultimately this form is very rewarding.
Sandra Raymond - Sandra Raymond is a writer, teacher, and new mom living in Flagstaff, Arizona. She has an MA in Literature and a Doctorate in Education ...
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