About the Book
As useful as the website is, there are limits to how much I can include on it. Want more? Young Playwrights 101 is a complete playwriting class in a book. Whether you're a young playwright yourself or someone who teaches them, this may be just the resource you need. It covers:
Where Ideas Come From
Models and Tips for Building Characters
Choosing the Right "Where" and "When" for your Play
The "Question" of the Play
Three-Act and Alternate Play Structures
Using Punctuation to Write Better Dialogue
Exposition
Beginning and Ending Your Play
Writing Stage Directions
Dealing with Writer's Block
Rewriting with The Writer's Web and the Troubleshooter's Checklist
Getting Produced and Published
The Playwright's Bill of Rights
A Suggested Reading List, Links to Young Playwrights Contests and much, much more...
Models and Tips for Building Characters
Choosing the Right "Where" and "When" for your Play
The "Question" of the Play
Three-Act and Alternate Play Structures
Using Punctuation to Write Better Dialogue
Exposition
Beginning and Ending Your Play
Writing Stage Directions
Dealing with Writer's Block
Rewriting with The Writer's Web and the Troubleshooter's Checklist
Getting Produced and Published
The Playwright's Bill of Rights
A Suggested Reading List, Links to Young Playwrights Contests and much, much more...
Organized into easy-to-follow lessons and filled with practical writing exercises, it's ideal for aspiring young (or young at heart!) playwrights and for teachers wanting a resource for their playwriting units--indeed, for anyone who wants detailed, practical playwriting instruction that will get you writing!
Praise for Young Playwrights 101...
Jonathan Dorf's comprehensive Young Playwrights 101 is an intelligent, practical, and highly accessible guide for young playwrights. His breadth of knowledge and humanity shine through the pages of this book. I like this text enormously.
--Janet Neipris
Head, Graduate Studies, NYU's Tisch School of the Arts Department of Dramatic Writing and former Dramatists Guild of America Councilmember
In exacting detail, Dorf's book provides a kind of playwriting boot camp approach to craft that is perfect for middle school, high school, and undergraduate students who need a point of departure for hewing their plays. This book can aid the novice in navigating the many complicated dimensions of playwriting toward the hopeful creation of a play.
--Velina Hasu Houston, Ph.D.
Professor of Theatre, Director of Dramatic Writing and Resident Playwright, University of Southern California
This is a complete playwriting course for teachers, and an essential read for any upcoming playwright. Highly recommended.
--Liane Campbell, Scene, the quarterly journal of the International Schools Theatre Association
Jon Dorf's analysis of the art and career of playwriting is clear, concise and comprehensive. The greatest compliment that I can give any craft-centered book is that I took notes.
--Ed Shockley, playwright
More than any other playwriting text I know, this book addresses the real, practical issues facing young playwrights today. Dorf never loses sight of the fact that the purpose of playwriting is production. It's not about writing an opus that will live in a drawer--this book will help young people write plays that will actually be produced. A must-read for any up-and-coming young dramatic voice.
--Matt Buchanan, playwright and child drama specialist and creator of childdrama.com
Excellent. Clear and crisply written and thoroughly comprehensive. It covers pretty well every aspect of writing a play from the idea through to the production. It's very well laid out and would be invaluable for a young playwright (or even an older one). I wish I had it when I was a teenager - it would have saved me a lot of grief.
--Peter Colley, creator of Great Dialogue software and author of I'll Be Back Before Midnight, called by the Toronto Globe & Mail the "most produced Canadian play ever"
Jonathan Dorf writes with eloquent precision. This book addresses young writers at their level of need without talking down to them. It is not only a book for young playwrights--this book teaches basics that every writer should review. YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS 101 is a terrific aid for anyone looking to learn the art of playwriting. It's a terrific read.
--David LeMaster, Ph.D., former Senior Editor, Brooklyn Publishers
I just wanted to let you know how much I LOVE your book. I'm a high school drama teacher and am teaching a class on playwriting. The book is so well written and gets right to the point. It was the perfect book for what I was attempting to teach. THANK YOU!!!
--Rene BeVier Dill, Director of Drama Program, Northglenn High School, Northglenn, CO
Jonathan Dorf's comprehensive Young Playwrights 101 is an intelligent, practical, and highly accessible guide for young playwrights. His breadth of knowledge and humanity shine through the pages of this book. I like this text enormously.
--Janet Neipris
Head, Graduate Studies, NYU's Tisch School of the Arts Department of Dramatic Writing and former Dramatists Guild of America Councilmember
In exacting detail, Dorf's book provides a kind of playwriting boot camp approach to craft that is perfect for middle school, high school, and undergraduate students who need a point of departure for hewing their plays. This book can aid the novice in navigating the many complicated dimensions of playwriting toward the hopeful creation of a play.
--Velina Hasu Houston, Ph.D.
Professor of Theatre, Director of Dramatic Writing and Resident Playwright, University of Southern California
This is a complete playwriting course for teachers, and an essential read for any upcoming playwright. Highly recommended.
--Liane Campbell, Scene, the quarterly journal of the International Schools Theatre Association
Jon Dorf's analysis of the art and career of playwriting is clear, concise and comprehensive. The greatest compliment that I can give any craft-centered book is that I took notes.
--Ed Shockley, playwright
More than any other playwriting text I know, this book addresses the real, practical issues facing young playwrights today. Dorf never loses sight of the fact that the purpose of playwriting is production. It's not about writing an opus that will live in a drawer--this book will help young people write plays that will actually be produced. A must-read for any up-and-coming young dramatic voice.
--Matt Buchanan, playwright and child drama specialist and creator of childdrama.com
Excellent. Clear and crisply written and thoroughly comprehensive. It covers pretty well every aspect of writing a play from the idea through to the production. It's very well laid out and would be invaluable for a young playwright (or even an older one). I wish I had it when I was a teenager - it would have saved me a lot of grief.
--Peter Colley, creator of Great Dialogue software and author of I'll Be Back Before Midnight, called by the Toronto Globe & Mail the "most produced Canadian play ever"
Jonathan Dorf writes with eloquent precision. This book addresses young writers at their level of need without talking down to them. It is not only a book for young playwrights--this book teaches basics that every writer should review. YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS 101 is a terrific aid for anyone looking to learn the art of playwriting. It's a terrific read.
--David LeMaster, Ph.D., former Senior Editor, Brooklyn Publishers
I just wanted to let you know how much I LOVE your book. I'm a high school drama teacher and am teaching a class on playwriting. The book is so well written and gets right to the point. It was the perfect book for what I was attempting to teach. THANK YOU!!!
--Rene BeVier Dill, Director of Drama Program, Northglenn High School, Northglenn, CO