This is my church...

Structure should be an easy thing to define. A car has four wheels, a chassis, a shell...a tree has roots, a trunks, branches, leaves...even something complicated, say the internal combustion engine, can be made simple by understanding it's structure...the same goes for good playwriting. There are the basics; story, plot, character, objective, obstacles, crisis, climax, resolution. Even the more complicated aspects of dramatic writing; revelation and reversal, axis, currency, even these things can be understood if explained. Of course, good teaching is essential. I am currently two days into a three day writing course at Fishamble, lead by Gavin Kostick, and I'm relearning a great deal as well as picking up some lovely nuggets of new information. I think it's equally important as a writer to find different ways of looking at things as it is to be true to your vision. It is easy to acquire an arrogance which, if nothing else, prevents you from choosing what might work for you as well as reducing your awareness about what might not work - and in fact hinder the writing process. Over the past couple of days we have returned to the Greeks and Aristotelian concepts of dramaturgy, which is something I covered quite extensively doing the masters at brum uni, but is equally refreshing now as it ever was. And it's great to talk to new writers (also doing the course) and seeing how well they're responding to these essential, archetypal ideas. There is something very reassuring about these ideas when you hear them, especially if you keep in mind that they are to be used as tools and not rules. If they don't work for you, it's simple, put them to one side. However, it is a slightly romantic notion to think that a writer just writes, and the words come from a deep, unfathomable abyss which no-one else can be party to...of course, you need an audience. So some set of coherent rules that help you write, will surely have more chance of resulting in a work that will reach out to people. Having said all this it is also worth mentioning that when I (and most writers I've met) do put pen to paper, that's exactly what we do. Arthur Miller was known to stick a sentence that summed up the play he was writing at the bottom of his typewriter, it helped him keep the piece focused. However, on the whole, I don't think writers stick up lists of rules around the room they are working to make sure they're doing everything right. No, writers just write, but having these rules/tools at the back of your mind is very important...and also when it comes to redrafting, these tools are invaluable. So if anyone out there's thinking of it I strongly recommend reading up on dramatic structure before starting your masterpiece...and on the flip side, don't think too much about it...one the best pieces of advice I've ever been given is don't get it right, get it written. Bon voyage...