No course in writing for theatre would be complete without some consideration of plot. In view of the time limitations of the present course, participants are encouraged to review the materials from the Exciting Plot Writing course, which explore plot writing techniques in some depth.

For the purposes of this evening's class, let us consider how to sketch plot ideas quickly from the starting point of characters. In other words, having already outlined a few interesting characters and created some dialogue between them, how can we begin to build a plot around them?

Arguably the most useful technique of all is to envisage the publicity materials that advertise one's play and proceed to work back from there.

Such materials are invariably designed to convey the broad thrust of the play without giving away the plot. Consider for instance the following proposition:

Super Sal explores the conflict between a woman's maternal instincts and desire for career. At 25, Sally is single, successful and well-off. But a seemingly innocent encounter with an insurance salesman is to have far-reaching consequences in her life...

This description took only a few minutes to draft, and yet it represents a major leap forward in the creative process for a number of reasons:

• It captures the all important potential for conflict, both within the character of the woman herself and (perhaps) between the woman and the insurance salesman.
• The suggestion of far-reaching consequences promises that there will be a significant character journey in the course of the play.
• The playwright can prevent weeks of wasted effort by establishing at the outset that the play is worth writing.
• The style of the description, designed to hook the reader by raising issues that can only be resolved by seeing the play, similarly engages the writer in the task of creating a meaningful and interesting plot.

When writing such descriptions, it may be useful to think in terms of familiar but interesting plot devices.

Consider, for instance, how the Super Sal description might be continued. The publicity materials are unlikely to say what the far-reaching consequences are for Sally, but the potential audience might be increasingly interested to know some of the milestones along the way: rape, betrayal, murder?

The point is that a very convincing plot may be constructed simply by exploring such issues within the context of the characters already sketched and the essential theme of the play (in this case, the conflict between career and motherhood). It is unlikely that more than a few of the components will ever be entirely original, but there is limitless scope for creativity when familiar themes are given fresh context.