{"id":7034,"date":"2024-11-12T10:19:42","date_gmt":"2024-11-12T10:19:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.spotlight.com\/?p=7034"},"modified":"2025-06-02T16:26:22","modified_gmt":"2025-06-02T16:26:22","slug":"tips-for-writing-a-monologue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.spotlight.com\/news-and-advice\/making-work\/tips-for-writing-a-monologue\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Write a Monologue"},"content":{"rendered":"

How to begin writing, develop a monologue and what to bear in mind when turning that monologue into a full show.<\/span><\/h2>\n

When it comes to writing \u2013 in all its forms \u2013 starting can be the hardest part. We want to make sure whatever we write is perfect, but the first words rarely are. Writing, like almost everything worth doing, requires practice and if you never let yourself write badly, then you\u2019ll never get good.<\/span><\/p>\n

So, how can we encourage ourselves to write without self-judgement? And how can we then turn those scraps into a monologue worthy of performance?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Improving With Freewriting<\/h3>\n

It\u2019s easy to imagine \u2018genius\u2019 writers as people who get struck by lightning and then spew out <\/span>Romeo and Juliet<\/span><\/i>. Maybe this is the case for one in a million, but for the rest of us, it\u2019s a slog. If you learn to play the guitar, you\u2019re not going to sound like Jimi Hendrix when you start out. You\u2019re unlikely to be in tune, let alone a good player, for the first year of playing any instrument, and yet we expect great writing to happen immediately. Writers have their ugly duckling phase, too.<\/span><\/p>\n

One way to improve fast is by freewriting:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Set a timer for 10 minutes.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Put your fingers on your keyboard or pick up a pen and start writing <\/span>whatever <\/span><\/i>comes to your mind.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Don\u2019t slow down, hesitate or censor yourself. Try to get lost in your head and go for a wander in your imagination.<\/span><\/li>\n
  4. Write continuously until your timer goes off.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    To get noticeably better at writing, you could do this every day. It will cure you of your fear of the blank page.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Dealing With Writer\u2019s Block<\/h3>\n

    Writer\u2019s block is simply constipation of the imagination. How do you overcome constipation? Fluids. So, write more fluidly \u2013 freewriting is one way to achieve this. By writing quickly, often and without pressure or judgement, we outrun ourselves, tapping the stream of consciousness.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Another cure for constipation: change your diet. In this case, your \u2018cultural diet\u2019 \u2013 theatre, films, TV, books, music, art, etc. If you’re feeling stuck, try to engage with stuff you’d normally avoid. Inspiration can strike anywhere, often coming from the most surprising places.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Editing Freewriting into a Monologue<\/h3>\n

    Once some weeks or months have passed and you have pages and pages of your freewriting endeavours, it\u2019s time to go hunting for diamonds. Just as real diamonds are found in the dirt, you will have sentences or paragraphs among the not-so-good parts of your writing that are truthful, funny, wise, haunting or which communicate to you something tangible.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Read through your writing, highlight the diamonds you find, cut those parts out and put them together in another document. If you did this for, say, two months, you’d have a document of good fragments culled from the dregs of your terrible writing. Perhaps you could make a monologue by stitching together the best of these lines? Maybe, with a little rewriting, these fragments could add up to a meaningful whole?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    “How do I know what’s good and what’s bad?” I hear you scream. Well, when editing your work you must first use your <\/span>own<\/span><\/i> tastebuds to decide what\u2019s a diamond and what\u2019s dirt. When creating any work of art, you need to first please yourself. If <\/span>you<\/span><\/i> like what you\u2019ve created, there’s a chance I might like it, too \u2013 and if we both like it, there’s a chance some others will. But if you <\/span>don\u2019t<\/span><\/i> like it, then it\u2019s unlikely I’m going to be impressed by it, and even if I was, that would feel like a hollow victory to you.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    You are your own best judge \u2013 please yourself and hope the world agrees.<\/span><\/p>\n

    For those writing comedy, if you\u2019re writing something funny and not laughing at it while writing, then it isn’t funny. Likewise, you\u2019re writing drama or tragedy \u2013 if you’re writing something emotional and not feeling strong emotions while writing, it isn’t going to captivate or haunt an audience.<\/span><\/p>\n

    You are the audience! Never forget it.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Writing Your Monologue<\/h3>\n

    Monologues are one of the most common ways that we measure actors by. You have to do an audition monologue to get into a play, film or drama school. However, we shouldn\u2019t think of monologues as a necessary evil to get work. They\u2019re the purest form of acting \u2013 one where you\u2019re completely self-reliant. It’s just you and the audience; sink or swim.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Monologue means ‘one voice speaking’. There are infinite forms that might take, but here’s a few off the top of my head:<\/span><\/p>\n