Now that you've created all these really great characters, you have to put them somewhere. Not all settings are created equal. The setting that works best for your play is the one that allows you to create the most conflict and tension when you put your characters in it. For example, an escaped prisoner hiding in a police station is a lot more exciting than one in a remote forest.

QUICK TIP: Noted playwright and screenwriter Bruce Graham told a group of us sitting around a conference table one morning in Philadelphia that he likes to walk around his settings. For example, when he was going to write about characters in a hotel, he checked into a hotel and really explored all the possibilities of that setting. So if you're going to write about characters at school, even though you may go there every day, pay a visit to your school as a playwright—you may see things differently than you do as a student.

The "when" of your setting is just as important as the "where." What year is it? What time of day is it? Again, select a time that works with your place to create the most conflict and tension. A student stealing the teacher's answer key long after everyone has gone home isn't as interesting as the same student stealing the key in the middle of the day, with the teacher due back at any moment.